Save Me
by Evie-Chan589
Summary: Gaara falls victim to a horrible crime and is found by Neji alone in the woods. What can Neji do to save this broken boy? First fic ever rated M for Yaoi rape and violence. SasuGaa ItaGaa NejGaa Warning: OOCness
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: none of these characters belong to me

Ages:

Gaara:15

Sasuke:16

Itachi:20

Neji:20

Gaara could feel his heart pounding out of control as he crouched behind an oak tree in the middle of nowhere. He desperately tried to contain his breathing, terrified of giving away his position. _Why…why did I ever agree to go anywhere with him? _

**Flashback**

It was 2:05 and the bell signaling the end of the school day and the start of the weekend had just rung. A petite redheaded teenager slung his bag over his shoulder and headed towards the doors that led outside, an air of relief about him. But before he made it even two steps a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"Where are you headed off to in such a hurry?"

The boy started and turned to face the sudden arrival, eyes widening in surprise. It was Uchiha Sasuke, the hottest and most beloved member of their high school. With his raven hair, piercing dark eyes, and confident charm no one could resist him. No one except Gaara apparently.

"I'm going home."

He snapped, brushing the hand off his shoulder and continuing down the hallway.

"Aww, why you got to be like that? I'm just trying to be friendly."

Sasuke pouted while quickening his pace to keep up with the smaller boy. There were a few moments of awkward silence before Sasuke made another attempt at conversation. "You read a lot of books."

"I'm aware."

Gaara said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Sasuke only raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"I've noticed you around campus, always with your nose buried in some thick novel."

Something about the older boy's tone sounded a little off to Gaara.

"I like to read."

"Did you know that there's this totally awesome literature thing going on tonight across town. It'll be all local writers looking for their big break coming out and selling their stuff really cheap. You never know what kind of gem you could find at a place like that"

"Really?"

Gaara's interest was definitely piqued but there was still something about this Uchiha guy that he didn't trust. He had never spoken to him before in his life and now all of a sudden he was chatting him up like they were old pals.

"Yep, I was wondering if you'd like to go with me."

Gaara hesitated, it did sound like fun… But this was all so weird, so sudden, so…_oh what the hell _he thought _I've never been one to pass up an opportunity._

"Sure I'll go."

_What's the worst thing that could happen?_

" Great, I'll pick you up at six."

---

Gaara peered at himself in the bathroom mirror. His fire engine red hair was falling into his face in messy spikes, and his large green eyes, outlined in black, stared back at him critically. With every second that passed he was getting more and more nervous about his decision to "go out" with Sasuke. He knew nothing of the guy except that he was a popular, rich, soccer player who had a constant horde of admirers around him. And he had never, ever-paid attention to someone like him before. Gaara sighed in aggravation; _I'd better find at least one incredible book at this place_.

Suddenly a loud honk coming from the driveway snapped him out of his thoughts. Sasuke had arrived. Taking a deep breath, Gaara spared once last glance towards the mirror, grabbed his CD player from the counter and headed for the door.

Gaara's eyes widened slightly as he observed the two-door silver sports car parked in his driveway. _Jesus Christ that thing probably costs more then my house._ He contemplated in awe. He didn't have much time to dwell on it though, as a strange man stepped out of the passenger seat of the car and beckoned for him to come over. Gaara was slightly startled, he was under the impression that this would be just him and Sasuke but complied anyway. Once he got closer to the stranger he noticed that he looked almost exactly like Sasuke, except older and with longer hair.

"Hello there."

The stranger spoke with a smooth, calm voice. His eyes darted up and down Gaara's body once, returning to meet his eyes with a smile. "Come on in." He opened his door and pushed back the seat revealing the backseat of the car. Gaara slid in, buckled his seatbelt, and then looked up to realize that was Sasuke staring at him in the rearview mirror.

"Nice."

The raven-haired teen stated it simply, some frightening emotion Gaara didn't recognize glinting in his eyes. The green-eyed boy suddenly felt a blush rise to his cheeks. He looked down at himself quickly; he was wearing tight black jeans, and a fitted red t-shirt with a black zip up hoodie over it. Bracelets were running up and down both arms and the look was completed with a pair of black converses. He instantly regretted his choice in apparel. Perhaps he should have worn something a bit looser.

"I don't believe you met my older brother before, have you?"

Sasuke's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"This is Itachi, Itachi this is Gaara."

"Charmed."

The older Uchiha drawled out.

"H-Hi."

Gaara was rather taken aback out how weak his voice sounded. _God, this was a bad idea. This guy is giving off the same weird vibes Sasuke was back at school._

As they pulled out of the driveway Gaara put on his headphones and started blasting rock music in an attempt to calm his nerves. The brothers exchanged brief glances with one another before letting the ride go on in peace. It wasn't long before Gaara had slipped off into his own little world, no worries, no stress just music. He continued to stare blankly out the window for a good forty-five minutes before abrupt awareness hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Hey! I thought you said this thing was on the other side of town, we're in the middle of nowhere!"

And indeed they were. At some point, without Gaara noticing, Sasuke had taken a side road and they appeared to be driving through a vast country side with nothing but trees on either side.

"Don't worry, Babe we're just taking a little detour."

Chuckled Sasuke. That nervous feeling was coming back full force. _This isn't right, this definitely isn't right. Where are they taking me?_

" I want to go home now. Sasuke? I said I changed my mind please take me home." Sasuke simply ignored his pleas and turned to the man next to him.

"Now would be the time." He said. And with that Itachi spun around in his seat and in one fluid motion stabbed a needle into the stunned redheads neck. Mere seconds later everything was growing hazy for the green-eyed boy. He could vaguely hear laughter somewhere off in the distance before everything faded to black.

---

Light, so much light, burning, searing through his eyelids. Gaara shook his head from side to side, moaning with pain. _What happened? Where am I?_ His head was throbbing, he felt nauseas, and he couldn't remember a thing.

"Get out of the car."

A strong pair of arms was grabbing him, roughly yanking at him. He found himself out in the open, crisp October air nipping at him. There was nothing to see for miles, just trees and a dirt road that the car had traveled on. A man with long dark hair was looking down at him. _I know him…what is his name? Oh, right, he's Itachi. I'm supposed to be going to that- that thing…I remember now._

"S-Sasuke?"

Gaara's head spun about the area until he found the younger brother. His accusing eyes burned into him, begging for answers.

"It's alright, Darling, just follow me."

Like he had a choice. Sasuke headed off into the wooded area, while Itachi fisted a hand into Gaara's silky locks, forcing him along. _Oh, God, Oh, God, Oh, God, someone please help me. Please… _It wasn't long before they reached a clearing. There stood a lopsided wooden shack, about as big as the average classroom.

"Do you like it? We built it ourselves."

Itachi smirked grabbing his chin, forcing him to look him in the eyes.

"Where the hell am I? I want to go home!"

He shouted, the hazy feeling he had was dissipating and slowly being replaced by fear.

" You're not going anywhere."

Sasuke snarled, opening the door to the shack and walking in. Before Gaara had a chance to react Itachi shoved him full force through the doorway, following quickly behind and closing the door.

For a brief moment the three were plunged into total darkness. Itachi had gone back to restraining the slender boy as Gaara's heart pounded erratically in his chest. Moments later there was a faint flickering of light. Sasuke had lit a candle. Gaara's jaw dropped in horror, as he took in his surroundings. There were three old mattresses lined up side by side on the floor. Each one had four stakes plunged through them and into the ground with handcuffs dangling off. One wall had a large rack leaning against it, completely filled with whips, chains, and other things too terrible to mention. Other than that the room was bare.

"Please…please, let me go, don't hurt me, please."

All sense of pride abandoned Gaara looked from brother to brother searching their faces for sympathy. But all he found was cruel grins and eyes filled with malice. Sasuke's lips pulled up at the corners in a twisted sort of smile.

"We're going to play a game."

---

Three miles away Hyuga Neji was sitting calmly on an old dead log he had dragged by his campfire. Every six months or so he would come out here, the middle of the wilderness, to camp. He loved the way the woods smelled this time of year. He loved waking up every morning to a fresh peaceful day. He loved cooking his food over an open fire. And most of all he loved the solitude, the escape from all the stresses that came with inheriting his uncle's massive business at such a young age. With a contented sigh he stretched and gazed up to the horizons.

"It doesn't get any better than this."

---

Well that's it so far for my first fan fic EVER. Please review I'm a total newbie at this and I need someone to (gently) point out my mistakes. Oh, yeah I compliment or two doesn't hurt either. XD


	2. Chapter 2

"You're being so unreasonable, Nii-san **I'm** the one who saw him first, **I'm** the one who got him in the car, **I** get to call the shots!"

"In your dreams, Baby Brother. I'll always be the one in charge. Just be patient, you'll get your turn."

Gaara lay, fully clothed, his wrists and ankles chained to the posts in the middle mattress while the two people above him argued. _How? How can this be happening?_ Before he could stop himself a whimper tore out of his throat. Both brothers suddenly paused in mid-argument at the noise.

"It seems we've gotten so caught up in ourselves we've forgotten about our little pet, haven't we?"

Sasuke murmured quietly. With that said he dropped to his knees, grazing his lips lightly against Gaara's ear. "I've watching you for quite some time now. You're always alone, always so quiet. If you weren't so beautiful you might have just sunk into the background and stayed there forever."

**Gaara's POV**

"Not alone anymore, are you?"

Itachi chuckled as he dropped down to my other side.

"We're going to make you feel _real_ loved."

_This isn't happening. I can just close my eyes and all this will go away._ Another pitiful whimper tore from my throat as I felt Itachi begin sucking on my neck. _No…_A soft tremor of unwanted pleasure traveled down my spine. He moves down a little lower and begins nibbling at my collarbone; Sasuke leans in and does the same on the other side. Their leaving marks, I can feel it.

"S-stop."

I can't help how pathetic I sound; I don't even recognize my own voice.

"Ssshhh, Little One."

Sasuke is murmuring in my ear. His hand has lowered itself to my stomach and is traveling up, pushing my shirt up inch by inch. Itachi dips his tongue into my navel.

"I said stop!" I manage to say that with a semi-commanding tone, feeling more like myself already.

"Didn't he just tell you to be quiet?"

Itachi sits up and glares at me.

"You're being a very bad boy."

He sneers, standing up. In two long strides he's over by the rack on the wall. He takes something off of it and then walks back over and straddles my chest. He's putting that thing on my face, in my mouth.

_Oh, I get it, it's a gag._

"Much better."

He says, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Now then, Sasuke, lets get down to business."

Sasuke agrees with an enthusiastic nod and begins rummaging around in his pocket. _Now what?_

"A-ha! I got it." Sasuke looks up holding a small piece of plastic in his hand. _What is that supposed to be?_ He presses his finger down on something and a blade pops up. _Oh, hell no!_ Terror grips at my heart. _I'm not ready to die! _They notice my reaction.

Itachi, who has yet to get off my chest, smiles down at me.

"Don't worry, we're not going to scar up that pretty little face of yours."

Sasuke hands the switchblade over to him and he lowers it to my shirt. He begins to slowly and methodically slice it up until it's nothing but rags. Sasuke pulls them away, leaving my torso bare.

"Not bad at all."

He comments, licking his lips. I feel sick, I feel scared, the urge to scream and yell is strong, but I can't. Even if I didn't have this thing in my mouth I don't know if I'd be able to. Itachi lowers himself and begins cutting away at my pants. I want to squirm and kick and struggle, but the blade is just too close. This is torture.

"Leave the boxers."

I hear Sasuke say. Itachi pauses in his actions and looks up at his brother with a raised eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Because I say so and I'm calling the shots, remember?"

Itachi rolls his eyes but obeys. _Oh, thank you thank you thank you. This has to be a good sign right? Maybe Sasuke has a conscience._ I hear a moan, I glance to the side, Sasuke is masturbating. _Maybe not._

Itachi snorts.

"You have a problem?"

Sasuke growls. Momentarily pausing in his actions.

"No, no, if you want to finish yourself off right now go ahead. More for me."

Sasuke glowers.

" That's it."

He pushes his brother off of me.

"I'm going first."

---

Neji stood up, brushing the bits of dirt and wood off of his pants. He glances up at the sky and frowns. He had been hoping to take a nice hike before it got pitch black but that wasn't going to happen. He had a bad habit of getting lost in his own thoughts for hours on end, a flaw his uncle had never missed a chance to point out. He frowned again _I am not going to spend the precious few weeks I have out here thinking about that ass._ _It may be too late to go out now but I'm getting up tomorrow morning bright and early and heading off._ With that thought in mind he heads towards his tent. _Better get a good nights rest, who knows what tomorrow could bring._

_---_

**Itachi POV**

I really don't know why my foolish little brother told me to leave the boxers, he just ended up shredding them with his bare hands two seconds after shoving me. The bastard. I'll give him credit for one thing though; he really knows how to pick 'em. This cute little thing, what was his name? Gaara I think, is perfect for me. Small, pretty, and quite obviously a virgin. Half of me wants to remove the gag so I can hear him cry and plead.

"Christ, Sasuke will you get around to it already? I've been watching you hump him for fifteen minutes, it's getting old."

That earns me another glare. Ha, he really is fun to tease. At least he's taking my advice though.

**Gaara's POV**

I'm staring up at Sasuke, wide-eyed and desperate. Sending him the strongest mental waves I can muster_. Please, please, don't do this. Just let me go, I wont tell anyone, **please**. _I don't think he's receiving them. He's sliding his pants down now, the underwear is following. I close my eyes. I can feel him lifting my hips up as far as the restraints will let me go.

"Tsk Tsk, Sasuke, really. It's his first time and you wont even give him a little lube?"

_How does he know it's my first time?_

Sasuke mutters something inaudible under his breath, getting up and walking over to the rack. He pulls something off of it and returns quickly settling back into position. He squirts some clear gel thing all over his fingers then applies it to himself hurriedly. He casts aside the tube and looks at me once more before violently thrusting in.

_HOLY SHIT!!! _I feel like I'm being torn in two! My vision flashes white as he begins to move. This is too much, too fast_, God make it stop!_ In and out, up and down. Sasuke's hands are digging into my shoulders with bruising force.

Itachi has started running his hands up and down my chest, caressing my sides. Everywhere he touches feels like ice.

I start to sob uncontrollably. The gag makes it difficult to take breaths in and my lungs are burning. Everything's blurry, it hurts so much and I'm pretty sure I'm bleeding. I can hear Sasuke's pants and groans but they barely register through my own wall of pain. Suddenly I feel something, a lot of something, warm and sticky. And then it's over; he pulls out bringing forth one final jab of pain. _That was actually kind of quick. _I thinkgratefully. But nowI hear laughter.

"Way to go, Sasuke! That was almost a full three minutes, congrats."

Itachi was practically rolling on the floor with mirth, and Sasuke looked PISSED.

"Shut the fuck up, Itachi. I'd like to see you do better."

"Oh, you will."

_No. No. No. No._

"Tomorrow."

_Thank you_

Itachi leans over very close to my face.

"You'd better get as much rest as you can tonight." He smirks cruelly. Something about his eyes…it's so frightening I can't bear to look at them any longer. I squeeze my own eyes shut.

**:: SMACK::**

"Open your fucking eyes." My cheek is stinging like crazy where he hit me, and all I can do I is stare up at him in shock.

"From now on you don't do anything without my permission. Understood?"

I'm too frightened to muster an answer.

**:: SMACK::**

"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!" Tears rise up once again but I manage to nod.

"Good, Boy. Go to sleep now."

I shut my eyes again just to please him but I have a feeling sleep wont come easy tonight. I don't know how long I lie here for, I can here the two of them moving around for a little while, cleaning up. Someone takes out my gag for which I'm thankful. Then everything is still and there's a loud snore coming from one side. I must have been lying there for at least an hour before I felt a hand on my shoulder shaking me "awake."

"Gaara?"

It's Sasuke. I open my eyes but it's too dark to see anything.

"Are you up?"

"Yes." My voice sounds small and raspy.

"Good."

I can feel him pulling at my bonds, and then suddenly a wrist is free. Then another wrist, then a leg, and then finally my other leg. _He's freeing me! Why is he doing this? Is it some kind of joke?_ He pulls me up into a sitting position.

"I want you to go now."

"W-what?"

It sounds too good to be true.

"You heard me, get out. If that bastard of an older brother thinks he's getting his turn now he's in for an unpleasant surprise. Now leave."

He yanks me up to my feet and shoves me towards the door. I'm so confused and surprised it takes me a minute to gather my thoughts before I bolt towards the door, which turns out to be a bad idea. The pain in my derrière is agonizing and I would have fallen to the ground had it not been for the doorframe I grabbed onto to. I desperately hobble towards freedom.

"Oh, and Gaara."

Oh shit, now what? 

"If you tell anyone about this I will let Itachi have his way with you and then I swear to God I'll kill you."

All I can manage is a slight nod to signal comprehension before I head out into the cold night air. Moving as quickly as my shaky legs can go I "run" off blindly into the woods. It is freezing out here, and I am stark naked. My ass hurts, my feet hurt, my head hurts, my soul hurts, but I can't stop moving. _What if Itachi wakes up and comes looking for me?_ I continue on long into the night, until the sun breaks the horizon. Finally my tired body can't take anymore; I curl up under a bush and fearfully allow sleep to take me.

---

Neji stood outside of his tent and smiled at the new day. _Another gorgeous, relaxing day._ He thought contentedly. He moved over to a large cooler he had set out and began to stuff his backpack full of food and medical supplies, just in case. He fully intended to spend the whole day out in the woods, communing with nature. Once he was set with provisions he pulled a compass out of his pocket, picked a direction, and started walking at a brisk pace. After about fifteen minutes of walking he had already slipped off into his own thoughts. Perfectly content to do so, he continued at a steady pace for a good thirty minutes before…

**::THUMP::**

"SHIT!!!" He fell on a root.

Gaara started awake. He had heard something…someone.

**END FLASHBACK**

_Oh please, no_. He felt himself starting to panic. Glancing around he noticed up ahead a figure picking themselves up off the ground. A figure with long dark hair. _NO!_ He jumped up and scurried behind a large oak tree. His heart was pounding so loud he was afraid it was going to pop out of his chest. _No, this isn't happening. Please don't let him find me, I can't go back. _He held his breath in a vain attempt to stay silent._ Why…why did I ever agree to go anywhere with him?_

Neji pulled himself off the ground, feeling slightly foolish. _Sure glad no one was around to see that._

Something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. A rustle of bushes, a blurry figure flashing by.

_What the hell? I'm pretty sure there are no bears out here and that thing was certainly too big to be a chipmunk._

Curiosity aroused, Neji walked over to where he thought he'd seen the figure go.

He scanned the area for any more movement but there was none. He was about to head back to the path when something else caught his attention. There was blood on the ground, a lot of it. His eyes widened in horror, following the trail of blood up to an oak tree. He took a deep breath, and preparing himself for the worst, stepped around to the other side.

"Oh my God."

---

Well that's it for chapter two. Thank you so much to all my reviewers, you have no idea how happy you made me. So far this story has really flowed but I anticipate that chapter three is going to be a little harder to write. I'll do my best!

-Evie


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh my God."

Neji stood, rooted to the spot. All he could do was stare down at the small figure curled up below him. It's a young boy, small, with red hair and bright green eyes. He is completely naked, and Neji could see bruises and love marks scattered on his thin frame. The blood appeared to be seeping out from under him. The boy was gazing up at him with raw terror and confusion in his eyes. He looked so scared, so defenseless. Neji wanted to say something, anything, but his thoughts were whirling around in his mind uncontrollably. As the seconds ticked by Neji's tongue finally became unstuck from the roof of his mouth.

"Where are your clothes?"

The second the words left his mouth Neji wanted to punch himself in the face.

'What a stupid STUPID question! It was glaringly obvious what had happened here! How could I be so rude?!'

The boy opened and closed his mouth like a fish, unable to speak as his face tinted pink.

'Dammit, Neji you're smarter than this. Take better care of him!'

The older male promptly removed his coat and flung it over the redhead, dropping down to eye level. The boy grabbed at it, quickly covering himself in order to protect what little bit was left of his modesty.

"I'm going to take you back to my camp ground, don't worry everything will be fine."

**Gaara's POV**

I stare dumbfounded up at the stranger

Thank god, he's not Itachi. But who is he? He's very tall, with long brown hair and eyes such a pale shade of blue they're almost white.He's talking now,

"Where are your clothes?"

Oh, god I want to crawl under a rock and die. How am I supposed to answer that question? I can feel my face turning red, before I can think of an answer the man is kneeling down, draping his coat over me. It's a very soft material, and it's already warm from being wrapped around him. I snuggle into it grateful that I'm no longer naked.

"I'm going to take you back to my camp ground, don't worry everything will be fine."

Wait, what? He's taking me somewhere? I don't know if I can trust this guy yet! What if he's helping out the Uchiha's? What if he wants to hurt me too? Acting on instinct I start inching backwards, my eyes darting all over for an escape route. He notices and gazes down at me with concern.

"I promise I won't hurt you, but you have to come with me."

Before I know what's happening he's slipped one arm around my shoulders and the other in the crook of my knees, lifting me up honeymoon style.

"Just relax, you'll be safe and warm soon."

At this point I'm pretty much powerless in his arms. I'm too tired to escape, and where would I run to anyway? I really don't have any other choice but to trust him as he starts walking off in some random direction. My whole body jumps when he steps on a twig and it snaps loudly.

"You have to be quiet!"

I whisper harshly.

He looks at me with a raised eyebrow and begins to hike more carefully. I let my head flop back over his arm and stare up at the top of the trees, allowing my mind to run over the events of last night again and again, trying to register exactly what had happened. Then realization dawned, clear and cruel.

'…I was raped…Holy shit Iwas RAPED!'

It's not like I'm not used to gay guys being all weird around me. There seems to be something about me that screams " I'm a cute little uke come hit on me." But I never thought something like this could happen to me…I thought I was smarter then that. I'm so pathetic and dumb! How could I have blindly walked into Sasuke's trap like that? What insane drugged up part of my mind told me it was okay to trust him?! Why didn't I just turn tail and run when I got a look at that creepy Itachi bastard? There are so many questions and I can't answer any of them.

Oh, fuck I'm crying again.

**Neji's POV**

'Why do I have to be quiet? Are we in some sort of danger? What have I gotten myself into?'

I frown as I glance down at the boy in my arms. He's crying now, eyes wide open, the morning sunlight making the green sparkle and stand out even more. I feel my heart clench up with anger and sadness.

'What kind of sick monster could hurt him like this?'

_---_

Sasuke let out one final grunt as he heaved the sleeping Itachi into the passenger seat. What a blessing it was to have sibling who's a heavy sleeper.

'Man, he is going to be so pissed when he wakes up.'

Sasuke cackled evilly to himself.

'That'll teach him to make fun of me. It was pretty easy to tell how much he was looking forward to nailing Gaara; this is definitely the perfect revenge.'

Sasuke had been pretty damn proud of himself; Gaara was the first person he had ever brought to The Shack. Normally Itachi did all the selecting and kidnapping.

'I thought I'd done a pretty good job, and then stupid Itachi had to go and ruin it'.

He scowled.

'Oh, well it'll be worth it when he wakes up and I see the look on his face.'

With that, Sasuke put the key in the ignition and drove off.

---

"Alright, we're here."

Neji gently shook Gaara, snapping him out of his trance-like state.

Gaara brought his head up and scanned the campground warily. There was a large olive green tent with a cooler set beside it, and a fireplace with a dead log lying in front. No whips, chains, or mattresses in sight. He let out a sigh of relief. Neji walked over to the tent and skillfully unzipped it without dropping Gaara.

He lowered the redhead gently onto his sleeping bag. The bleeding had stopped so there was no fear of ruining it. Unfortunately, his coat was long past the point of no return. Gaara blushed as he become aware of the wrecked coat.

"Sorry."

He said, averting his eyes and chewing on his lower lip. Neji smiled at him tenderly. He slid his backpack off and took out his medical supplies.

"I'm going to have to ask you to lie on your stomach. I won't do anything I promise, I just need to see how bad you've been injured."

Gaara hesitated; staring hard at the other man, searching for anything that resembled the look the Uchiha brothers had given him earlier. He looked sincere.

Nervously, Gaara rolled onto his stomach, fists clenching at his sides. He could sense Neji coming closer to him, could feel his hands tugging the coat off of his body. His whole body trembled.

"Open your legs just a little bit wider, please."

Neji felt absolutely horrible asking the kid do something like that after what he had just been through. He found himself wincing as the boy did as he was told, revealing his wound. _Ouch_. Neji grabbed a rag and dumped the water in his canteen all over it.

"I'm cleaning you off now."

He reassured while wiping away the dried blood. The next thing he did was pull a small tube from his medical bag and squeezed some of its contents onto his finger.

"This is a disinfectant, it may sting a little."

Gaara braced himself as Neji dabbed around the area.

"Alright, that's all I can do there. Now lets check out those bruises shall we?"

He sat Gaara up and rotated him so they were facing one another. He scanned over the marks on his arms briefly.

"I think I have a little something to make these feel better."

He once again reached into his bag, pulled out another tube, and began dabbing some sweet smelling ointment onto the marks. Lastly, he cupped Gaara's chin in his hand, turning his face side to side while he examined the huge bruise on his face. His brow furrowed.

"The stuff I put on your arms is too strong to put on your face as well. I can make you an ice-pack if you'd like."

Gaara paused for a moment then slowly shook his head up and down. Neji smiled.

"I'll give you some clean clothes first."

He turned towards an overflowing suitcase in the corner of the tent and began to search through it. Several minutes later he turned back, a navy blue sweatshirt and matching sweatpants in hand.

"I don't know how well these will fit you but it's better then nothing."

Gaara snatched the clothes out of his hands and fervently began to dress himself.

"I'll be right back with the ice-pack."

Neji called over his shoulder while exiting the tent.

---

Sasuke heard a low groan come from next to him. Itachi was waking up.

'Now would be a good time to pull over, I suppose.'

---

Gaara sat in front of the crackling fire, ice pack firmly pressed against his bruise while he watched Neji preparing soup.

"You're going to love this,"

The Hyuga beamed at him over his shoulder,

"It's my specialty."

In the short time they had spent together Neji had gotten Gaara to state his name and age, nothing else. He tried once to ask him what happened but the redhead simply shook his head "no" and averted his eyes to the ground. Neji had taken the hint.

'I'll never tell anyone what happened.'

Gaara had thought determinedly.

'If I never tell anyone they'll have no reason to hurt me

**Neji POV**

He refuses to talk to me about what happened and I'm letting it rest for now, but this absolutely isn't over. Someone hurt him, someone hurt him in a horrible way and they need to be punished. I'll be sure that they get everything that's coming to them.

"Neji?"

A small voice pipes up from behind me snapping me out of my vicious thoughts.

"What is it, Gaara?"

"When can I go home?"

I frown slightly at his question.

"I was planning to stay out here for another six days, my driver will be coming then."

"Is there any way it can be sooner?"

"No, I'm sorry, cell phones don't work out here so I didn't even bring one, and we're at least thirty miles from the nearest town. Is there someone at home who's going to be worried about you?"

"Probably not. I live with my older brother and sister and their used to me taking off during the weekend. I usually go and stay at my friend Haku's apartment. I didn't even tell them I was going out so they'll probably just assume I'm there."

"Oh."

Is all I can say.

'A young boy should be watched after more carefully than that.'

Gaara sighs softly.

"Hey, don't be sad, we'll just have to make this experience as fun as possible. By the end of this week we'll be great friends, I'm sure."

I give him my most convincing smile ever; normally reserved for the business parties I'm forced to attend. .

He musters a sad little smile before turning to look intently into the flames.Such a sad look doesn't belong on such a pretty face. Now I have two missions for the week:

'Sabaku no Gaara, by the end of this week I will find out what happened to you **and** I will make you smile for real.'

_---_

"…What the hell? Sasuke why are we in the car?"

Itachi sat up, suddenly wide-awake. He spun around and looked into the empty backseat with a look of complete shock painted over his handsome features. He turned back to his little brother slowly and deliberately.

"He had better be in the trunk."

"He's not."

A deathly silence filled the car as a grinning Sasuke watched a variety of emotions flicker across his brother's face, finally settling on an expression of murderous calm.

"Then where is he, Sasuke?"

"In the woods."

"Turn the car around."

"I can't, we only have enough gas left to get us home."

Itachi looked troubled for a moment.

"What if he rats us out?"

"Yeah, like he's going to make it out of those woods alive."

Sasuke snorted. Itachi's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I never got my turn."

"I know."

"How long do you think I have before he dies?"

" Four days, tops."

"Then you know that this isn't over, right?"

Sasuke glanced over at his brother, noting the all too familiar sadistic look .

"Yeah, I know."

---

DUNDUNDUN

Okay, so this chappy was a little short, but certain things have to be sacrificed in order to update quickly and end all of these on cliffhangers. (Insert evil grin here)

All these reviews are incredibly appreciated keep up the good work, people you're really fueling my desire to write!

3 Evie


	4. Chapter 4

**Response to reviewers: **

Gaaras-Gothic-Ninja-Sappy-Sue: I know I already sent you a message but I'm not sure if I did it right so I'll do this just in case. It's perfectly okay if you want to use my gag idea. It would be nice if you did a little (ahem) advertising for my story in your author's notes

Corvin: You're one of my favorite writers and I was so flattered that you reviewed my story. Keep up the good work over on your end.

Green24 and xXPixiexxStikXx: Wow, multiple reviews, I appreciate that.

To Everyone Else: I don't have the time to list everyone so I just want you to know that I love you all more than ice cream. (And that's saying something.)

---

The two had sat side-by-side eating their meals in silence. Gaara continued to stare into the fire, consumed by his sorrows and completely oblivious to the world around him the entire time. Every once in a while Neji stole a worried glance in his direction but they went unnoticed.

Now Gaara was wrapped up securely in Neji's sleeping bag and blankets while the Hyuga studied his sleeping form, running the events of the last few hours over in his mind.

'That meal was so awkward. If the whole week goes by like this I think I'll go insane.'

Neji desperately wanted to make the boy open up to him, maybe even have a little fun, but those were some incredibly difficult tasks to accomplish if the kid wouldn't tell him what was going on.

'How am I supposed to heal wounds if I don't even know where they are?'

Gaara murmured something indistinct in his sleep, rolling onto his other side. A smile tugged at the corners of Neji's mouth.

'He really is a cutie.'

---

The Uchiha's had made another quick stop at the side of the road to eat the food they had prepared in advance. Sasuke examined his brother as he munched on a tuna fish sandwich. He had some pretty good first hand experience with how overboard Itachi could go when he didn't get what he wanted and he was beginning to regret his split second decision to let Gaara go. Normally both brothers would take their turn; Itachi would load their victim back into the car and have a good long talk with them to make sure they never squealed. Then they would drive them back to wherever they'd come from and life would go on.

'I never intended to let Gaara die out there. I was going to go back and get him. I figured I could make him keep his mouth shut just as well as Itachi could

The more Sasuke thought about it, the stupider he felt. How could he have thought Itachi would take this loss lying down?

'This is turning into a giant headache and I want nothing to do with it.'

"Itachi, if you're going back out there to find him, count me out. This has gotten boring. Just be sure you bring him back… I was never going to let him die out there."

Itachi glanced over at his brother, looking bored.

"I know that, Stupid. You don't have it in you yet."

Sasuke's eyebrows shot up at Itachi's choice of words.

'What does he mean by I don't have it in me "yet"?'

---

Gaara groaned quietly as his eyes slowly slid open.

'Mmmm…so warm.'

He curled up further into the plush blankets, nuzzling his face up against the fleece.

'I could just lie here forever…'

"Morning, Sleepy-head."

Gaara jumped at the unexpected interruption. He turned over to examine the source. It was Neji, of course. He was wearing different clothes then what Gaara last remembered, and his hair had been pulled back into a loose ponytail.

"…Morning? How long was I asleep for?"

Neji chuckled at his question.

"Half the day and all night. You must have been exhausted."

Gaara sat up, rubbing at his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess I was."

He scanned around the spacious tent, trying his best to push his memories of the previous days to the back of his mind. Suddenly something occurred to him, and he looked up at Neji with a bewildered expression.

"If I was in your sleeping bag then where did you sleep?"

"Over on the other side of the tent."

He replied, somehow managing to look perfectly calm on the outside while inner-Neji grinned like crazy. He'd woken up about an hour ago to delightfully discover that Gaara was snuggled up against his chest. Neji had allowed them to remain like that for a little while, enjoying the moment before reluctantly untangling himself from the boy, vowing to never let him know that he's a sleep cuddler. He could feel a sly smile threatening to break through so he swiftly turned his back on the redhead, pretending to busy himself with something while his mind searched for something to say.

"So, you up for some breakfast?"

The instant the words left the Hyuga's mouth Gaara's stomach rumbled loudly.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Both males stood up and exited the tent, eager to get some food in their stomachs. Neji walked over to the blue cooler, taking out two eggs and a packet of Canadian ham while Gaara stood awkwardly by, wondering if he should do anything to assist.

"If you want to help out there's a little stream right over there,"

Neji gestured about twenty feet to the left,

"You can go refill the canteen."

Gaara hesitated for a brief moment.

'I'll still be in plain view of Neji… and what are the odds that the Uchiha's stuck around here anyway?'

Keeping that thought in mind Gaara retrieved the canteen from the tent and headed over to the creek. He knelt down if front of it, lowering the container. As he sat there, waiting for the canister to fill, he had a good chance to look at himself in the surface of the water.

'Ugh, I look awful. My eyeliners worn off, my hair is a mess, and Itachi really did a number on my cheek'.

The second he felt the cool water overflowing onto his hand he stood up, screwed the cap on, and walked back over to Neji.

"Think fast."

He called, gently tossing it underhand. Neji caught it one handed, his eyes following Gaara as the boy marched purposely over to the burnt out fire. He reached down, grabbed a piece of coal from the ashes and headed back over towards the stream. Neji actually laughed aloud as Gaara came walking back towards him with freshly applied "eyeliner". Gaara stuck his tongue out at him.

"What? I feel naked without it."

Neji shook his head from side to side, still laughing to himself.

"Whatever floats your boat, Kid"

Gaara moved over to the log and plopped himself down, watching the eggs and ham sizzling in the pan. Once the Hyuga dubbed them cooked he removed them from the fire, dumped them onto two paper plates, and handed one to Gaara. This meal, much like the first, was soundless. The only difference was that this silence didn't feel uncomfortable.

---

Sasuke lay back on his bed, one armed draped exhaustedly over his face. The whole drive home Itachi had ranted to him about "respecting his elders" and "thinking before he acted." Not that Sasuke wasn't used to his brother yelling at him, it's just that this time he'd made some pretty convincing points.

**Flashback:**

"The whole time you were cooking up this _brilliant_ plan of yours did you once think about how you'd manage to sneak out of MY house, take MY car and go get that worthless brat from the woods without my noticing?"

"…No."

"Of course you didn't! And just how the hell do you think we're going to find him out there anyway? Do you have any idea how ridiculously large those woods are?"

"…No."

"And what do you plan on doing when you see him at school?"

"I don't know."

Itachi sighed in exasperation.

" This is exactly why **I** always picked people who didn't leave near us. If he sees you everyday, if he's reminded of what happened to him everyday, how long do you think he'll be able to go before he breaks down and tells somebody what we did?"

"He's a pathetic little loser, Itachi. No one will believe him."

"But we cannot afford that kind of attention right now!"

Itachi pounded his fist furiously on the dashboard.

"Are you suggesting that we really do leave him out there to die?"

"No, I haven't gotten my turn yet, remember?"

Sasuke could feel his level of irritation rising.

"Then just what the hell are we supposed to do?!?!"

An eerie silence filled the car.

"You'll see."

**End Flashback**

Sasuke groaned into his arm.

'What is my crazy brother planning?'

_---_

Gaara let out a sigh of contentment, resting one hand on his pleasantly full belly as he turned to face the Hyuga.

"That was really good."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Neji smiled warmly at him.

'He seems to be in a good mood; this would be a great time to make him open up.'

"Do you want to do something?"

"…Ok."

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. You pick."

"Want to go for a walk?"

"**NO**!"

"Didn't think so… How 'bout a game of cards then?"

"I don't know many games."

"I'll teach you."

"Well in that case…okay."

"Great, I'll be right back."

Neji got up and walked into the tent. About a minute later he remerged, holding a deck of cards in his hand. Gaara tilted his head to the side, smirking slightly.

"Just out of curiosity, why did you bring cards if you're camping alone?"

"Because I like to play solitaire."

"Oh, me too!" Gaara smiled up at him happily.

'Okay Neji this is good, find common interests.'

"Do you like to read too?"

As quickly as the smile had appeared on Gaara's face, it vanished, a shudder passing through him.

_"Did you know that there's this totally awesome literature thing going on tonight across town?"_

"…Gaara?"

Neji's eyes flashed with alarm.

'What did I do?'

The sound of his name being uttered seemed to snap the green-eyed boy out of whatever trance he had fallen into.

"S-sorry."

"Don't be sorry, you didn't do anything."

Neji sat down next to him, still clutching the cards and looking worried.

"What happened? Was it something I said?"

Gaara looked up at him.

"Kind of…but don't feel bad."

"Did it have anything to do with what happened to you?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed when he said that.

"I don't want to talk about that!"

"So you're just going to let the guy that hurt you get away with it?"

A pink tint rose to Gaara's cheeks and his eyes traveled back down to the ground. But all of this went unnoticed by Neji, who was growing aggravated.

'I just want him to talk to me God-Dammit.'

"Guys."

Gaara whispered softly.

"What?"

"Guy**S**." There were two of them."

It took a moment for Gaara's words to make their impact on Neji, but once they did his jaw dropped and his eyes widened in dismay.

"Oh, geez…come here."

He reached out and pulled the reluctant redhead into a tender embrace. He could feel a soft cheek pressing up against his collarbone and warm breath tickled his neck.

"Poor baby."

He murmured,

"You don't have to worry, I'll protect you."

Gaara let out a soft sigh of contentment.

'I believe you, Neji.'

_---_

Itachi sat at his desk, tapping his finger thoughtfully against his chin

'Sasuke really is a nuisance. If he'd let me fuck that brat like I wanted to my life would be so much easier.'

His look of discontent was being slowly replaced by a sickening smile.

' On the bright side, this is turning into the perfect opportunity to teach Sasuke a few important lessons.'

_---_

I know that this chapter was mainly a bunch of build-up but trust me it was necessary. I've got great ideas for this story but I didn't want everything to get jumbled together in a big rush. Chapter five will be much more exciting, I promise.

-Evie

I 333333333333333333 My Reviewers


	5. Chapter 5

The hug had been nice while it lasted but as soon as the two had pulled apart Gaara began staring at his feet self-consciously.

'What was that? I don't let people hug me! '

Neji, on the other hand, was looking rather pleased with what he considered to be progress. The Hyuga prided himself on his ability to make anyone and everyone open up to him. He chalked it up to his non-threatening good looks.

"So Gaara-kun, what card game do you want to play?"

Gaara simply stared at the Hyuga, jaw slack with shock.

'Did he just call me **KUN**?!'

Unnerved by the lack of response Neji tried again.

"How about Go-fish?" Gaara nodded numbly.

'This guy must be on something.'

Neji handed half the deck to Gaara to shuffle, and then he recombined the two decks, shuffled more and dealt out the necessary cards.

Fifteen-minutes later Gaara found himself engaged in the most enthralling game of Go-Fish ever recorded in human history. He had five cards, Neji had four and there was one card left face down in the "pond." Everything rested on his next move, tension was high and the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Taking a deep breath Gaara decided to just go for it.

"Got any…two's?"

"Nope."

"Dammit!"

He flung his cards at Neji who was grinning ear to ear.

"I guess I win then."

Neji looked smug and started collecting the scattered cards while Gaara folded his arms and pouted.

"Shut up."

"Well aren't we a sore loser."

"Well aren't we a sore loser."

Gaara imitated in a high-pitched cartoonish voice. Neji smiled at Gaara, eyes full of mischief. In one swift movement he had tackled the boy onto his back and began mercilessly tickling him.

"AAH! What are you doing? Get off me! GET OFF!"

Gaara began kicking and squirming, laughing his head off the whole time.

"I'll stop when you admit I'm the world go-fish champion and will be until the end of time."

"N-never."

Gaara managed to stutter out between giggles. Neji continued his ruthless assault on the boy's ribs and stomach.

"Say it!"

" Y-you're the w-world champion of go-fish…"

"And?"

"And you w-will be for all time! Y-you bastard!"

Neji finally stopped and sat up, beaming triumphantly down at Gaara who was still trying to halt his laughter. His pale complexion was tinted with pink and his mouth was hanging slightly open as he took in gulps of air desperately. He looked so frail and pretty, so sweet and innocent. Neji continued to gaze at him, mesmerized by the delicate beauty. Before he knew what he was doing he was leaning in towards those soft, parted lips. Closer…closer…

"You wanna get your fat butt off of me now?"

Gaara's playful voice pierced through his daze, immediately snapping him back into himself. Neji felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice on him and instantaneously rolled off of him and scrambled backwards, cheeks burning with shame.

'Oh my God. What the hell was that? Was I really about to kiss him? '

Gaara propped himself up, oblivious to both Neji's come on and the disgrace he was now experiencing. In the midst of his internal panic the Hyuga managed to feel the tiniest bit of relief.

'Thank God he's not observant.'

_---_

Sasuke was sitting at his brother's desk, watching him pacing about the room and stroking his chin contemplatively.

'He looks just like one of those movie villains right now. '

Itachi suddenly halted in his movements.

"Okay here's what's going to happen. Tomorrow we're getting up bright and early, getting our asses in the car, and driving back up to the damn woods to find Gaara. Then I'll get my turn, we'll drive him to a hotel and I'll teach you how to make a victim stay quite."

Sasuke gulped.

"How long will that take?"

"Two days if we're lucky, three if it's difficult to find him."

"What about school?"

"Fuck school."

Sasuke sighed.

"Alright…sounds like a plan."

" Good, now starting making food."

" What! Why me?"

The elder Uchiha turned and shot Sasuke a meaningful look.

"… Point taken."

Itachi smirked.

'So far, so good.'

_----_

Gaara was looking at Neji with an odd expression on his face.

" Are you alright?"

"Yeah…I'm fine. I'm just going to um, go to the bathroom. Be right back."

He stood up and scurried off into one of the wooded areas, leaving a mystified Gaara behind. The second he was out of sight Neji collapsed onto a fallen tree, resting his face in his hands and trying his best to deal with his sudden realization.

'I have a crush on Gaara. Holy shit…what's wrong with me? I've known him for one day, he's underage, and he just got RAPED! '

The Hyuga stared at his feet in disbelief. He wasn't sure exactly how long he sat there for, mind whirling and heart pounding before he straightened himself out and took a deep breath, attempting to settle his raging emotions.

'Ok, Neji, here's what you're going to do: You'll take care of him, you'll accomplish those two missions, and you will NEVER let him know that you feel that way about him.'

The brunette frowned sadly to himself, unable to stop his mind from wandering longingly.

'If only we'd met under different circumstances...'

He shook his head rapidly from side to side, clearing up all those wishful thoughts.

'This isn't about what I want…it's about what Gaara needs

_---_

A grumbling Sasuke stood in front of the kitchen counter, violently slathering a piece of bread with spicy brown mustard. On the outside Sasuke appeared the epitome of anger but in reality his insides were churning with worry. Ever since he was very little Sasuke had looked up to his older brother. He'd followed him around everywhere, imitated him, and always tried to get in good with his friends. At first this behavior annoyed Itachi but over time he'd come to love having a mini me and had taken Sasuke under his wing, molding him into the perfect clone and changing him irreversibly for the worst.

Their crimes had started small, the two were quite the bullies at their old school, stealing lunch money and breaking toys. As the brothers got older however, they were introduced to far more sinister forms of entertainment. Itachi often took the lead in concocting their plots and if it hadn't been for him it is likely that Sasuke would never have known that he was capable of such evils.

Still, by no stretch of the imagination could Sasuke be considered a victim, or a good person for that matter. He enjoyed rape, the sensation of power it gave him, the way his victim's would beg, it was all so thrilling. But he had his limits. He had never killed anyone and never intended to. In his mind rape was perfectly okay, he practically considered it his right, but murder, that was a whole other story. His opinion was that to take another person's life from them was to carry out the ultimate injustice.

He had always assumed Itachi felt the same way, but now he wasn't so sure. Sasuke was well aware that he had dug the two of them into a deep hole by selecting a victim that knew him and went to his school. And as hard as he tried he could not think of any other way Itachi would solve their problem other then to shut Gaara up once and for all. To kill was to commit the greatest sin…but the alternative, getting caught and thrown in jail, almost seemed worse.

Sasuke put the food back on the counter and sank to the floor, mind racked with guilt and indecision. He had never considered murder an option until now.

---

Gaara folded his arms impatiently and stared at the spot in the trees he had last seen Neji disappear into. He was still afraid that Itachi would come lunging out from behind a random bush and drag him back to that horrible shack. He shuddered at the thought and hugged himself tighter.

'Neji, please hurry.

As if on cue the angelic beauty came bursting out from between the trees, smiling uncertainly at Gaara.

" Sorry that took so long."

"It's fine."

Gaara didn't care about that anymore, he was just glad that he was safe again. Neji walked over and sat down next to Gaara, a few inches further away then what the redhead was used to. Gaara twiddled his fingers.

"So now what?"

Neji glanced down at his watch. It was noontime.

"How about some lunch?"

The remainder of the afternoon passed fairly uneventfully. The two worked together to grill some fish for lunch and most of the meal had passed in silence. At some point Neji had handed his companion a notepad and a pencil and Gaara had contented himself with doodling while Neji stared off into space. The Hyuga had wanted to read but was afraid to bring a book out in front of Gaara.

The hours passed by uneventfully, every now and then the green-eyed boy had glanced over at Neji, picking up on some uneasy vibes. He wondered if he had done something wrong, or if Neji knew something that he wasn't telling him, those thoughts caused him to revert back to the state of anxiety he'd been in when he first came to the campground. It wasn't until later that night, around seven o'clock after a quick meal of leftovers that Gaara finally worked up the nerve to ask Neji what was on his mind.

"Are you alright?"

Neji started at the sudden interruption.

"Yeah…I'm fine."

"You've been acting really weird. Did I do something wrong?"

Gaara stared at him fretfully, afraid of what the answer may be. The second he saw the fearful look Neji felt a wave of guilt rush over him.

"You didn't do anything. I had something else on my mind but I feel better now."

He moved forward until he was sitting cross-legged in front of the boy.

**Gaara POV**

He says he's feeling better but I'm not sure if I believe him. Examining his face this close up I can still see traces of unhappiness in his eyes…his pretty blue eyes. I feel the heat rushing to my face the second I think that. But really, who could blame me? I'm just a silly schoolboy with a bad habit of crushing on older guys. I always was the one who would take a train into the city during the weekend. I couldn't even count the times Haku and I would go to clubs, we'd dance and drink and flirt…

A sudden sadness overwhelms me. I can't imagine myself doing those things now. Itachi and Sasuke took that from me. They made me realize that you can never tell who's trustworthy. Who's dependable and who's trying to trick you into giving them a cheap fuck. I thought I could tell the difference…but I was so wrong.

**End POV**

Neji watched Gaara's face contort in misery. He still believed it was his own fault for being so distant all afternoon.

' I'm lower then pond scum. '

He thought contemptuously.

"Really, I'm fine now."

He reached out and stroked the side of Gaara's face with the back of his hand. The redhead reached out unexpectedly and placed his hand in Neji's, guiding it down to rest on his collarbone as he stared searchingly into Neji's crystalline eyes. The older man could feel his heart skip a beat and his breath caught in his throat. Gaara dropped his hand and stood up.

"I want to go to bed now."

He was staring at the ground mournfully, looking like something had been stolen from him. Neji swallowed hard, desperately wishing he had a time machine so he could go back and re-do this afternoon.

"Okay. I'm going to stay up a little call me if you need anything."

Gaara offered up a weak smile before heading into the tent and crawling into his makeshift bed.

---

_Beep Beep Beep Beep_

Itachi reached out lazily and shut off his alarm clock, sitting up and stretching pleasantly. He looked out the window, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. A grin spread across his face.

"Today is the big day."

---

I'm having really mixed feelings about this chapter. I was trying to build up the relationship between Neji and Gaara while showing Sasuke's transition. You know, to build suspense and what not. I'm not sure how well that came out though…please review-Evie


	6. Chapter 6

Itachi untangled himself his red silk sheets and stood up. He tugged a dark blue t-shirt over his head and pulled on a simple pair of jeans.

'Don't want to dirty up any of my good clothes.

Then he strode purposefully into his little brother's room, slamming the door open and flicking on the lights.

"Wake up."

Sasuke grumbled and rolled onto his side, pulling the covers over his head, he had been hoping that yesterday was a bad dream. Itachi sighed and marched over, yanking the covers off of him, grabbing his ankles, and pulling him off the edge off the bed.

"I said wake up!"

Sasuke's head smacked into the wooden floor while cold air assaulted him from all directions.

"I'm up, asshole!"

He got to his feet, clutching his aching skull and muttering obscenities under his breath. Itachi smirked at him,

"You have ten minutes to grab your things and get in the car."

---

When Neji awoke that morning Gaara was not in the tent. Panic stricken, he'd jumped up and rushed outside, prepared to battle a rapist to the death. Instead he had found the little redhead sitting by the fire, warming his hands. He sighed with a mixture of relief and annoyance.

"What are you doing up so early?"

Gaara glanced over his shoulder at the newcomer.

"I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep."

Neji nodded slightly, settling down next to him, and holding his hands out towards the fire as well.

"Nice day out."

He commented offhandedly. The redhead turned his face up, as if noticing the crisp cloudless sky for the first time.

"Yeah it is."

He turned and smiled contently at Neji. "I've never been out in the woods like this before, it's really pretty."

The Hyuga's breath caught in his throat as he stared at the boy, utterly shocked.

'There it is! A real smile!'

A gleeful feeling of accomplishment spread through him, warming him from the inside out.

'God, he's so beautiful when he smiles…'

As hard as he tried to fight it Neji couldn't help but feel yesterday's crush creeping back up on him. Sensing the brunette's good mood, Gaara inched forward a bit. And acting solely on a whim, he reached out to lay his hand down on top of the Hyuga's, laughing inwardly at himself as he did so.

'Once a hormone crazed schoolboy, always a hormone crazed schoolboy I suppose'.

Neji's eyes widened and, momentarily taken aback, he just sat there, attempting to process what had happened. Gaara gave the hand a light squeeze, shooting the older man a questioning look. The gesture seemed to snap Neji out of his stupor and he quickly turned his hand over, intertwining their fingers.

---

The two brothers's slid into the car and settled into their seats. This time Itachi took the wheel, clearly demonstrating who was going to be in charge of their newest adventure. The elder Uchiha grinned excitedly, the same jitters he always got before an expedition rushing through his body. Sasuke, on the other hand, was experiencing some very unfamiliar feelings of self-doubt and apprehension. As the car pulled out of the driveway and onto the open road he stared longingly at his bedroom window.

'I could be in there right now, asleep and worry-free.'

_---_

Neji remained seated next to the redhead, dumfounded by the sudden change in attitude, but happy nonetheless. Gaara's hand felt small and warm in his and he was more than willing to accept this turn of events as an astonishing stroke of luck. With a new rush of confidence Neji untangled their fingers so he could fling an arm around the boy's shoulders. Pleased, Gaara let his head fall against him.

'I can't believe I'm doing this…I can't believe how easy it is to trust again. Then again, it's not like Nejis going to hurt me.'

Gaara found himself chuckling lightly at the thought of the Hyuga being intentionally cruel. Thus far Neji had acted more protective and kindly than both Temari and Kankuro combined. Feeling a sudden rush of warmth for the other man Gaara tilted his head up in order to examine his face better. At the same time that he looked up, Neji looked down at him, suddenly bringing their faces so close that their noses brushed. Both males felt themselves blush at the close proximity but neither moved, they were each too enraptured by the other's beauty.

Neji rapidly found himself getting swept up in the moment once again. He tentatively moved forward about half an inch. When no interruption came he decided to go for it, not allowing himself a chance to change his mind he leaned in and pressed his lips up against Gaara's At first the impulsive action startled the redhead, but after a few seconds he allowed his eyes to slide shut, losing himself in the kiss. Mere seconds later it was over and the two reluctantly parted. Gaara smiled bashfully up at Neji who in turn cupped his cheek and raised one eyebrow incredulously.

"Was that okay?"

Gaara smiled, running one finger along his upper arm playfully.

"Yeah, it was. It made me feel like my old self again."

And it was true, for the first time since it happened Gaara stopped thinking about Itachi and Sasuke. The arm around his shoulder tightened lovingly.

"Glad I could help."

---

Sasuke was slumped over, forehead pressed against the cool glass of the window as he watched the scenery whiz by. They'd only been driving for ten minutes and already he was ready to shove his brother out of the moving car. Itachi had been relentlessly babbling about all the fun he was going to have with "his pretty little toy," and about how much smarter and stronger and wiser he was than Sasuke. _BlahBlahBlah…_He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

"Itachi, please,"

He groaned,

" will you stop talking?"

---

After the kiss Gaara was so happy it felt like he was walking on clouds. So when Neji suggested they go on a quick nature walk he agreed, previous fears forgotten. The pair started off together down a familiar path.

'This will be a great time to make him open up'

Neji realized with a certain amount of self-satisfaction. His arm was still looped around the redhead and one of Gaara's arms had snaked around his waist. All in all they looked like a couple, out on a peaceful camping trip. Neji was raking his mind trying to think of a good conversation topic.

"So, Gaara. You've already told me that you live with your two older siblings, but if you don't mind my asking where are your parents?"

Gaara shifted a bit.

"My mom died giving birth to me and my dad walked out on us when I was six."

"Oh, geez I'm so sorry."

"It's fine... I mean I am sad about my mom; sometimes I wonder what she was like…But I don't really remember my dad too well and from what Temari and Kankuro have told me he wasn't exactly an "upstanding citizen."

Neji nodded understandingly,

"I lost both my parents in a car crash when I was ten."

Gaara laughed dryly.

"Our lives could be a soap opera."

Neji smiled a bit, that statement was unnervingly close to the truth. He didn't have long to dwell on the sadness of it all because Gaara was asking him a question.

"So what did you do after your parents died? Where did you go?"

"I went to live with my aunt and uncle and their daughters, Hinata and Hanabi."

"Do you like them?"

"My aunt is nice enough, but Hiashi, my uncle, is a real bastard."

"Why don't you like him?"

Neji sighed.

"Nothing I ever do is good enough for him. I was a varsity soccer player, the valedictorian of my class, and I even agreed to be the fucking prom king to try and please him. It was never good enough. The only reason he's letting me run the business now is because he had to come to terms with the fact that Hinata is completely incompetent."

"You don't like Hinata either?"

Another sigh.

"I don't particularly like or dislike her. She's just kind of there."

Gaara nodded, then paused, as if something had just occurred to him.

"Wait, you said your last name was Hyuga right?"

"Yeah…"

Neji gulped nervously, he could see the wheels spinning.

"So your uncle…is Hyuga Hiashi?"

"Um, yeah."

"THE Hyuga Hiashi."

"Yes."

"And you inherited the business?"

"Correct."

"HOLY SHIT YOU'RE RICH!"

Neji jumped at the outburst and then hung his head; he hated how wealth could change everything.

"Yeah, I am…"

Gaara blinked his eyes in newfound awe of the man next to him. "Please don't look at me like that, I'm still the same as I was before."

"I know that."

Gaara turned his head to the side and nuzzled Neji's shoulder lightheartedly.

"I'm just surprised that's all. You don't really give off the snotty vibe I'd expect from a millionaire." Neji smirked.

"You have no idea how much that means to me."

After that the conversation tapered off and the two continued walking in comfortable silence. Neji simply enjoyed the sounds of the forest and the feel of the warm body next to him while Gaara daydreamed... He fantasized that Neji was his boyfriend, and had been for quite some time. They were merely going for a stroll in the park and soon they would return to his mansion and snuggle in front of the fire, talking about books, movies, and anything else that came to mind…Silly fantasies had always been something that Gaara was particularly prone to.

Their blissful wanderings continued for about an hour, and Neji absentmindedly wandered off of the regular path, he wasn't aware of that fact until stepped forward, brushing a few branches out of the way, and found himself in a clearing he had never seen before.

His jaw immediately went slack with surprise at the same time that Gaara's whole body was consumed by fear. There, in front of them, was a lopsided wooden shack, one that was sickeningly familiar to the redhead.

"What the-"

Neji started, but before he had a chance to finish his sentence Gaara broke free from his grasp and tore off into the forest, running away from the shack as quickly as his still-injured body would allow. Bewildered, Neji started after his companion. "Gaara! Wait, come back!"

'What the hell is going on?'

It didn't take long for the Hyuga to overtake the boy, wrapping his arms around him as the two tumbled to the ground.

"Neji! Let me go! We have to get away from here!"

Gaara struggled desperately.

"Stop…Stop, just calm down, you're okay. Tell me what's going on."

Neji pulled the still squirming boy into his lap.

"T-that's the place. That's where they took me. Please we have to go!"

Neji nodded slowly, he'd had a feeling it had something to do with that. He stood, helping Gaara to his feet.

"Alright. Let's get the hell out of here."

And they did. Neji wouldn't allow Gaara to run anymore, even though every instinct in his body was telling him to. He couldn't risk re-opening any old wounds. And besides, he highly doubted the people responsible for hurting him had stuck around. When they finally arrived back at the campground Gaara had been in a state of emotional turmoil so Neji had wisely refrained from pestering him with questions. He simply helped the exhausted boy into bed and remained at his side, murmuring sweet nothings until he fell asleep.

Once that had been accomplished the brunette finally had a chance to sit back and reminisce about the hectic day.

'This has been quite an experience...'

There had beenthe initial fear of waking up in the morning to find Gaara gone, the kiss, walking in the woods, talking so openly about their lives, and then finding that awful shack. Neji scowled determinedly.

'Tomorrow I have to go back and see for myself what's in there'.

_---_

Itachi pulled the car over to their usual parking spot along the road, switching off the ignition and turning to face Sasuke, who was staring at him, awaiting his orders.

"We made it here in good time. We'll go to sleep in the car for tonight. Tomorrow we're getting up bright and early to begin tracking him down."

---

This is one of the shortest chapters I've written yet...I tried to get this chapter out in good time but I was experiencing some major writers block. I know where I want this story to end up, now it's just a matter of getting it there. Please review. - Evie


	7. Chapter 7

Despite the unsettling end to the day Neji actually had a pleasant rest that night, memories of the kiss he and Gaara shared keeping the nightmares at bay. Now he was awake, well rested and happily aware that Gaara once again snuggled up to him during the night. He had his arms were wrapped around the elder's chest and his head nestled beneath his chin, snoozing peacefully. Neji noted, with mild amusement how this seemed to be turning into a habit… not that he minded. And although the promise he'd made to himself last night was still fresh in his mind he'd already decided that he wasn't quite ready to untangle himself.

'All that other stuff can wait a little longer. I want to stay like this for a while…'

Outside their tent a squirrel leaped from a tree branch onto the ground. The sudden landing snapped several twigs creating a loud noise that roused the redhead from his sleep. Neji watched, fascinated, as his mint green eyes slowly opened and the boy blinked against the new day's light.

"Good morning, Sleepyhead."

The younger smiled up at him sweetly, the warmth of the other man's body and the soothing blanket of sleepiness having yet to lift off of him. As if in a trance he tilted his head up so their noses brushed together.

"Morning."

He whispered the words softly, pale pink lips brushing up against Neji's lightly.

Despite being taken aback by the unexpected boldness the Hyuga reacted as any sane person would, leaning in for a gentle kiss. He was even further surprised when Gaara recuperated his affections with vigor, wrapping his arms around his neck and opening his mouth, asking for more. Never one to let an opportunity pass the brunette rolled over so he was lying on top and began heatedly tonguing the slender teen. The younger boy giggled slightly into the kiss, running his fingers through the silky dark locks. Neji smiled inwardly as the boy beneath him squirmed delightfully.

'Even in the morning he still tastes sweet.'

A pleasurable moan tore from Neji's throat as Gaara nibbled on his lower lip, running his tongue teasingly over it before turning back up for another kiss, mouth open. Neji's hands trailed along the boy's arms longingly, the skin beneath his fingers felt soft and warm to the touch. Yearning for more made his way down to the hem of Gaara's shirt sliding up underneath the garment and rubbing at the faint lines of his ribcage. When he felt no resistance to the action he pushed up further, bunching the shirt up beneath Gaara's chin and fully exposing his torso. He began gently nipping and sucking at the boy's neck and chest, savoring every soft noise that elicited. Gaara arched, grasping hard at his soft brown hair now, inhibitions thrown to the wind as Neji moved lower, circling his tongue around one nipple, and then the other.

"N-Neji…"

Upon hearing his name he glanced up to see that the slender teen had his head thrown back, eyes squeezed shut and face flushed with pleasure. The sight caused a stir of excitement in the Hyuga's groin, area making him suddenly aware of his erection digging rather provocatively into Gaara's clothed butt. It was all too much for one person to take and he started rocking his hips needily against the redhead.

Gaara's eyes flung open, the familiar motions bringing back startlingly vivid, memories of being pinned beneath Sasuke_... trapped, hurting, defenseless, scared…_Utterly panic-stricken he brought up his fists and pounded frantically on Neji's chest.

"Stop!"

Shocked beyond words the Hyuga froze, staring down into a pair of suddenly open and frightened emerald eyes. All at once he too was painfully aware of the situation, the color immediately draining from his face and he rolled off the boy, backing several feet away to the opposite side of the tent.

"Oh God I'm so sorry."

Gaara pulled his shirt back down to its rightful position, shutting his eyes as he allowed himself several moments to calm down and collect his thoughts. To Neji it felt like an eternity passed before the boy lifted his head, regarding him with remorseful eyes.

" It's okay. I'm sorry… I did initiate that, it's just…I'm not as ready as I thought I was."

Relaxing slightly at the words Neji scooted forward again, hell bent on making the boy trust him.

" I wont rush you."

A moment of silence passed before Gaara slowly brought his head up to stare searchingly into Neji's eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I would never force you to do something you don't want to do."

Gaara chewed his lip anxiously, unsure if he and Neji were even having the same conversation anymore. Finally, he took a deep breath in and decided to just ask.

"So…you'll wait for me to be ready?"

"I-."

Neji stopped midway through his sentence, a dizzying sensation creeping up as it occurred to him just what Gaara was implying. For a brief second he sat there, frozen with indecision as the boy looked at him, hope and uncertainty reflected in deep pools of green. Feeling oddly lightheaded, Neji reached out to take the other boy's hand gently in his own.

"Yeah…I'll wait as long as it takes."

A shaky smile took over Gaara's face and his eyes shone with unshed tears.

"Thank you."

---

Sasuke had awoken with an unbearable ache in his joints.

'This is what I get for sleeping in a fucking car.'

The only thing that kept him from going insane was the fact that his older brother was still asleep. An evil grin spread over the younger's face as he reached into the backseat and pulled a bottle of water out from their cooler.

'Now it's my turn to be the alarm clock… '

Slowly he removed the cap and pointed his weapon at his brother, pausing briefly to savor what was to come.

'I wish I had a camera.'

He squeezed the body of the bottle as hard as he could, sending an ice-cold spray of water all over the sleeping Itachi.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Sasuke burst out into uncontrollable laughter as the eldest Uchiha started awake, arms and legs flailing about awkwardly.

"Sasuke, you Bastard!!!"

---

Gaara reclined against a mountain of pillows, happily watching Neji throw on a jacket and lace up his hiking boots.

"Alright, I'll be back in about forty-five minutes, you're sure you'll be okay by yourself?"

"Yep."

"Okay, Babe. See you soon."

Neji leaned in and planted a quick peck on his lips before exiting the tent. Half of him preferred that Gaara was staying at the tent, visiting the shack was something he knew had to be done by himself. Still, the other part of him couldn't bear to have the petite beauty out of his sight for even a second.

'Oh well, I guess it shows progress that he's not afraid to be alone anymore.'

Gaara watched his new found love interest's retreating back with a very odd sense of pride swelling up within him. These past couple of days he had experienced things he had never thought he'd have the misfortune or the luck to encounter, and although his mind was still reeling with a thousand different emotions a certain amount of accomplishment had managed to arise from it all

'I bet those Uchiha bastards think they've won. I bet they think that I'm broken now…but they're wrong. I have Neji now, and that's all I need. He smiled smugly. Those assholes deserve to rot in jail…and I'm going to make sure they do.'

_----_

Neji walked hurriedly through the woods, eager to get back to the shack.

'I just want to resolve all these problems so Gaara and I can move on with our lives together.'

He looked forward to that so much, the day that all this would be put in the past and he could be with the little redhead worry free. The thought brought a smile to his face. And although he knew he was really rushing things along and being uncharacteristically idealistic he just couldn't bring himself to care. Hyuga Neji was utterly smitten by a pretty green-eyed boy.

For awhile he simply walked, thanking god for his nearly photographic memory that was allowing him to find his way back to where he was yesterday, even though he knew his good mood would immediately dissipate upon reaching his destination. The path crunched below is feet and cool wind blew, he glanced down at his watch and bit his lip nervously.

'About ten more minutes until I get there

_---_

The Uchiha brothers were standing outside their car now, one dripping wet while the other sulkily nursed an aching arm.

"Alright."

Itachi turned to his brother.

"The first place we're going is back to the shack to see if he's still there." Sasuke raised an eyebrow doubtfully.

"Why the hell would he want to go back?"

"Because, stupid, he's probably realized by now that he'll die out here and he wanted a chance to beg for his life."

"Oh."

Another wave of what Sasuke could only assume was guilt hit him.

"Let's go."

---

Neji brushed away the branches and stepped back out into the clearing, eyeing the small wooden shack warily as he approached. Quickly, he pulled a pair of leather gloves from his pocket and put them on.

'Don't want to tamper with the crime scene.'

Taking a deep breath in to prepare himself for what lay ahead he flung the door open, gasping as light flooded the small room. He took one step forward and surveyed his surroundings with wide horrified eyes.

"Oh God."

He walked over and knelt by the dingy mattresses; noting that the center one was covered with what appeared to be multiple splotches of blood and semen. So many stains…far too many for them to all have come from one person…

As the magnitude of what he had discovered dawned on him Neji was filled with an overwhelming desire to get as far away from this hellhole as possible. Screw the fact that he'd been in there for all of ten seconds he needed out!

---

Sasuke and Itachi stood side by side, staring through the open door at a male figure crouching inside their shack. The figure was far too large to be Gaara.

"Fuck."

The only word Sasuke could pry from his throat, and despite its barbaric simplicity it perfectly conveyed what both were feeling. Sasuke's whole body was frozen as his mind struggled to register the sight in front of him. The whole purpose of building their "second home" out here was to avoid situations like this, and now, the unthinkable had happened.

Itachi was the first to break out of the stupor, grabbing his younger brother by the arm and hurriedly yanking him into some overgrowth in the exact instant that the figure stood, turning to face where they had been standing seconds before.

'That_ was way too_ close for comfort

"Stay quite."

Itachi whispered harshly. The figure stepped outside, shacking slightly. Both Uchihas leaned forward, watching intently as the man lifted slowly lifted his head and sunlight hit his face. Sasuke felt his breath catch in his throat and Itachi's grip on his arm tightened painfully. Despite his casual clothing, messy hair, and uncharacteristic fear it was undeniable to the two Uchihas who this person was.

"It can't be…"

Itachi looked at his brother before turning back to face the other man, hatred burning in his eyes.

"Hyuga Neji."

---

Yes I know, another cliffhanger I'm an evil bitch.

This chapter was unbelievably hard to write, I can't even describe it…I had read through and edit so many times I nearly threw my computer out the window. :: Takes deep breath:: but it's done now! Still… Is it just me or are these chapters getting shorter and shorter? I need a muse! Seriously if there is anyone out there who will edit my stories and help me think of ideas contact me!

…Anyway leave reviews. And if anyone has any ideas for what they think should happen do tell. I already know how this will end up but there are a million ways to get it there and I could use some inspiration. -Evie


	8. Chapter 8

For the first time in as long as he could remember Uchiha Itachi was dumbstruck. Absolutely dumbstruck, as in, he had no clue what he should do. His enemy, his mortal enemy had discovered his darkest secret.

'Curse that Hyuga bastard.'

For his entire life he'd lived in Neji's shadow, ever since the first day of elementary school. He was the SECOND best in his class, the SECOND best soccer player, not to mention the time he'd been only a handful of votes away from being the prom king. But none of that mattered, he'd stood off to the side, just another member of the "royal court" while Neji took the crown.

And that wasn't the worst part of it, no not at all; the worst part was that the Hyuga didn't even care. Each time he'd been praised, each time he'd been given another award he had simply stood there, eyes emotionless as he accepted his achievements with a calm and uncaring politeness. He had everything that Itachi wanted and he didn't even CARE!

And now, years out of high school both men fronted large, successful businesses. They were the leaders of their industry, the CEO's of Japans two largest corporations, and they were constantly competing to see who could have the lowest prices, the happiest employees, and the most customers. Yes for their entire lives they had been rivals, with Neji somehow always taking the lead. But now, Itachi's eyes narrowed dangerously, now he finally saw his chance to get rid of the competition once and for all.

"Sasuke."

He whispered quietly to his still stunned brother.

" Be as silent as possible, we have to follow him." The younger was in such a state of shock he was basically running on autopilot so the order came as a welcome relief. A voice of reassurance and authority that pierced through the murky haze, he nodded dumbly, following after his brother as they started creeping through the over brush.

---

Neji moved fast, hunched over slightly as he battled his way through the foliage, desperate to get back to camp and talk to Gaara. He couldn't shake the irrational feeling that something was horribly wrong, a fact that bothered him especially because he placed so much pride in his own intuition.

'My brain must be scrambled today…'

Relief flooded through his body when he entered the camp ground and saw Gaara sitting peacefully, munching on instant ramen. The boy looked up as Neji approached, looking a little surprised.

" Hi. You weren't gone for very long."

Neji nodded, avoiding eye contact. In response Gaara gave him a knowing smile.

" It's okay. I know that you went back to the shack."

"Really?"

Neji wasn't sure why he was so surprised; telling Gaara he felt like going for a long walk in the woods right after what happened yesterday wasn't exactly subtle. The redhead looked down at his feet fleetingly before meeting the Hyuga's gaze, sudden determination gleaming in his jade eyes.

"I made a decision while you were gone."

Neji sat down next to him, sensing the importance of whatever Gaara was about to say.

" Go ahead."

The boy angled his body towards his companion, putting his hands in his lap and taking a deep breath in.

" I want to tell you about what happened now."

Neji's leaned forward intently, focusing all his attention on Gaara; this was the moment he'd been waiting for.

" I'm listening."

Gaara took another deep breath, preparing for what he knew he had to do.

" Well, there's this guy in my class. His name is Sasuke and he's really popular."

Neji smiled, silently encouraging him to continue.

" And three days ago he started talking to me after class which was really weird 'cause we'd never spoken before. The only thing he knew about me was that I like to read so he invited me to this literature thing. I didn't trust him but he made it sound like so much fun so I agreed to go."

Gaara looked down, saddened by the memory of his mistake.

"But when he came to pick me up there was this other guy there, his brother Itachi." Neji winced.

" I know someone named Itachi, he's a real ass."

Gaara nodded.

"Yeah, this guy was really creepy too. I was having second thoughts about going but I just put on my CD player and started listening to music while we drove. I guess I zoned out because the next thing I knew we were in the middle of nowhere. I got kinda scared and told them I wanted to go home but they didn't listen…"

Neji's brow furrowed.

" Then Itachi …"

Gaara trailed off, voice cracking on the last part.

A vicious hatred towards the two that had hurt Gaara was rising up in Neji and he had to force himself to grind out his next question in a calm, non-threatening tone.

" Then what happened?"

After a pause Gaara tried again to finish his sentence.

"Itachi, he, put a needle in my neck and I passed out. When I woke up they dragged me to the shack"

He left it at that; Neji knew perfectly well the events that occurred beyond that point.

"So two guys named Sasuke and Itachi did this to you?"

"Yes."

" Do you know their last names as well?"

"Yes."

" Are you willing to take this to court."

Gaara's eyes flashed with venom.

"Yes. I want to see those bastards locked up for a long long time."

Neji smiled.

"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that."

The pain and injustices of the past few days are rapidly building up inside Gaara and boiling to the surface in the form of uncontrolled anger.

" Who the hell do they think they are anyway?! What gives them the right to hurt me like that?"

His whole face quivers with anger, so much of it that frustrated tears are threatening to spill out.

" Nothing gives them that right, nothing. They were wrong and now they're going to pay for it."

Neji soothes as gently as he can, worried about Gaara's current mental state.

" You're right! I hate them! I fucking hate them both!"

He's screaming now, the noise frightening all the forest creatures around them. " I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE THOSE UCHIHA BASTARDS ROT IN HELL!"

He yells so loud that is throat feels raw, and all he can do is sit there, panting as Neji stares at him with horror and disbelief.

" Did you say that one of the brothers was named Itachi?"

His voice sounds hollow and empty as his eyes bore into the redhead's. Gaara merely nods, unsure of why Neji's mentioning it now.

" And you just said their last name was Uchiha?"

Another confused nod.

" So this man's full name would be Uchiha Itachi." Gaara doesn't bother to respond to this, he just stares at Neji who appears to be drawing his own conclusions at the moment. " Was this man tall?"

"Yes."

He manages to rasp out in response.

" Did he have long dark hair?"

" Yes."

Gaara's growing nervous now as the hostility in Neji's voice rises.

" Did he have freaky dark eyes that might look normal if you saw them in a picture but seeing him in person you can just tell that something's wrong?"

" Y-yes. How did you know?"

" Because."

The Hyuga's expression darkens into one of pure malice.

" Itachi and I have a history."

Gaara's jaw goes slack, his eyes widen, and for a split second his heart stops beating.

" What does that mean?"

" It means that I don't doubt for a second that Itachi is capable of building and using that shack. In fact, you might want to count yourself lucky."

Gaara swallows hard, not wishing to dwell on the subject any longer. He looks at the angry Hyuga longingly.

" Neji?"

The man looks up at him curiously.

" What is it?"

" Can I have a hug?"

In that instant he looked so childlike and sweet, that Neji's anger all but disappeared. He wrapped his arms warmly about Gaara as the boy buried his face into his shoulder, shamelessly seeking solace. Neji planted a kiss on the top of his head before letting his eyes slide shut, savoring the moment. He knew that in several days he would be involved in a historically large trial, and he probably wouldn't be able to go a day without being flocked by media. He might as well savor the peace and quiet while he still could.

' I can't believe we're about to take the infamous Uchiha heirs to court…'

_---_

Not thirty feet away said Uchiha's were hiding behind a tree, watching the scene before them, each with different emotions rolling around in their minds. Itachi was filled with gleeful anticipation and amusement.

'Look at that corny bastard; he would be the kind to fall in love with the little fuck toy. I'll have some fun screwing him in front of Neji before I kill them both.'

A twisted smile creeps to his face.

'Fun indeed.'

Sasuke on the other hand was scared. No, he was way past being scared. He was absolutely fucking terrified. He was petrified, horrified, frightened, anxious, alarmed and everything in between.

'I can't go to jail, I just can't! I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't!'

He repeats the words over and over in his head like a mantra. They soar around in his head, bouncing off his skull and crashing into each other. It's suddenly becoming very difficult to breath.

" I can't… Itachi I can't!"

Alarmed at the noise his brother is making Itachi grabs him, slapping a hand over his mouth as he whispers harshly in his ear.

" Calm the fuck down."

Sasuke looks at him with panicked eyes, desperately trying to voice his worries thorough Itachi's hand. " If you freak out you'll get caught. Is that what you want?" Sasuke shakes his head. " Didn't think so. Now listen up I have a plan."

---

ARGH! I really don't mean to keep ending these on cliffhangers! I think I have a disease: " unable-to-think-of-an-ending-that-isn't-a-cliffhanger-itis." FORGIVE ME!

…Cough cough anywayz….what did you people think of this chapter? I really liked it even though it was unbelievably short (again) but I think I've resigned myself to the fact that this fic is going to have short chapters. I don't know why that's just the way it is.

Please continue reviewing the way you have been you beautiful wonderful people! -Evie

P.s. For those who are having trouble-keeping track Neji and Gaara have been in the woods four days and Neji said his driver would be coming on the sixth day.


	9. Chapter 9

Itachi and I waited for a moment in which we could be sure neither of the campers would spot us before sneaking back to the car. At the time I had no idea my brother had in mind all I knew was I was prepared to do anything to save my own ass. I had felt so determined and merciless, but now, as I stare into the open trunk of our car I can't help but wonder if the is going to be worth it. Lying before me on a homemade gun rack are two small silver pistols.

Itachi picks up one of the guns and expertly twirls it around one finger before grabbing if firmly and pointing it towards the remaining gun.

"Are you going to take yours?"

I swallow hard and reach with a shaking hand to pick up my weapon.

"What exactly are we going to do with these?"

Itachi gives me a look that suggests I'm an idiot.

"What the hell do you think we're going to do?"

There's a sick feeling swirling around in my stomach and it's all I can do to keep from collapsing. My brother sighs, obviously aggravated with my hesitance.

"Do you want to go to jail?"

I shake my head and Itachi's scowl deepens.

" I didn't think so. Now then, here's the plan."

I lean forward to show that I'm listening.

"You'll wait until I give you the signal then you go after Neji and I'll take care of Gaara. I still have some unfinished business with the little redhead but when I'm done with him I'll take care of the Hyuga. All you need to do is hold him at bay until I'm ready. Got it?"

I look down at the pistol, carefully considering the situation and all of my options. Finally I look back up and nod as the powerful feeling I get from holding the gun overcomes my nervousness.

" Sounds good to me."

With that finally decided we ran stealthily back to the campground and secured a hiding place that gave us a perfect view of the tent's entrance. Both of them were in there right now, whether they're sleeping or doing something else I really don't know or care. The only thing that matters is no one will be able to leave without Itachi or me knowing about it.

---

Neji looked down at his little redhead with soft unguarded eyes as the boy snuggled affectionately up against his chest. Tonight neither male had thought it necessary to fool themselves any longer; they just cuddled up before falling asleep. Either way they looked at it was inevitable to end up like this.

The Hyuga could not remember the last time he'd been this happy, and a content smile remained plastered to his face as his eyes slowly slid shut. Lying inside the warm tent, with his arms wrapped securely around Gaara, he was blissfully unaware of the dangers that lurked just outside and sleep came easily. At some point during the night, while he was in the deepest state of sleep, a dream came to Neji.

He was paddling a canoe through a lake that seemed to have no end. The water was a clear crystal blue and the sun was beating pleasantly down on the back of his neck. The scene reminded him so strongly of the peaceful summer days he used to spend with his parents in the years before their tragic deaths. A bumblebee hovered amiably alongside his boat and a fish leapt up, creating a small splash upon landing.

Everything was perfectly serene as he gazed down into the lake's cool depths and he could have remained like that for all eternity but something rather disconcerting made the still moment come crashing down around him.

A pale face was staring back up at him from the surface, misty green eyes blending in a near perfect way with the surrounding water. He watched, stunned, as a delicate arm reached outwards and hooked onto the side of the canoe. He saw the muscles tense beautifully as the arm pulled upwards to reveal the slim upper body of a young boy.

The boy was now blinking questioningly at him, seemingly communicating with his eyes as he extended one hand. Eagerly Neji tugged the redhead fully up into the belly of the boat, crystalline eyes widening considerably as he took in the other's full appearance. He was stark naked and dripping wet.

Staring at the perfection that was the young teen Neji could feel the mood changing in a way that is only possible in a dream world.

The boy was grinning devilishly up at him through his bangs while advancing seductively on all fours.

"You like what you see?"

His voice was sweet and melodic and all Neji could do was nod nervously as a tightening sensation spread through his groin. The boy inched forward even more; lightly brushing their noses together as the Hyuga tentatively placed his hands on the other's hips to pull him fully into his lap.

Without any kind of warning their lips were pressed hard together and the innocent surroundings Neji had been enjoying melted away into obscurity. All he could see now, all he could feel was the boy currently straddling him. The boy overwhelmed his senses and he suddenly felt lightheaded.

A darting tongue lapped at his lower lip. Promptly he opened his own mouth, grasping red spikes tightly and tilting his head for better access. Neither was really fighting for dominance, they were just enjoying the way the other tasted.

After several moments of intense making out Neji decided it was time to bring things up a notch. Without breaking contact once he pushed the redhead down so he was lying on his back in the bottom of the boat.

A small set of hand were at his fly now, skillfully unzipping them and sliding inside. Neji bit down on the inside of his cheek and groaned as he felt his manhood being pulled out of his pants. Nimble fingers ran up and down the length, one circling the tip while the other grasped firmly at his base.

The soft, enticing touches brought forth appreciative moans from the Hyuga and with a grin the teen started moving faster. Just as the brunette was really getting into the moment the actions stopped. He frowned slightly it the boy underneath him propped himself up, hands leaving his erection in favor of sliding them up his chest. As he traveled up his chest he took the shirt with him, playfully pinching one nipple before discarding the bothersome article of clothing entirely.

The brunette leaned back down to recapture the other's lips, delighting in the feeling of their two bare torsos rubbing together. The mysterious green-eyed boy wrapped his arms around his neck at the same time his legs wound about his waist, longingly rocking his own need against Neji's.

By now the warm feeling that had started in the pit of his stomach had increased and moved downwards, creating a burning need that insisted on being sated. Eagerly he fully pulled off his pants and sat up, straddling the redhead's hips and gazing down at him with lust filled eyes.

An impish little smile played over the boy's face as he grabbed the older man's hand and dipped it into the water, quickly drawing it out and navigating towards his own entrance. Always quick to take a hint Neji inserted one finger, moving it back and forth experimentally before adding a second.

The redhead moaned delightfully, squeezing his eyes shut and bucking his hips upwards into the touch. The combination of sight sound and touch was unnaturally arousing to Neji and he could feel his libido going mad as he hurriedly pulled out his fingers and positioned himself.

Those beautiful green eyes cracked slightly open and he smiled up at him a daring look that only fueled the Hyuga's already burning desire. In one grand thrust Neji forced himself in all the way up to the hilt, a sweet feeling of relief spread through his body as he felt himself finally surrounded by the tight heat he'd been longing for.

The boy clawed passionately at the boat's bottom, face beautifully flushed as he writhed against him.

"More."

Although that one word was said in a pleading tone it was still quite clearly an order, but Neji was more than willing to comply. He put his hands on either side of the redhead's face and pressed his lips up against him as his thrusts increased in both strength and frequency.

He brought himself back further than before and moved forward violently, aiming for one specific spot. The boy cried out, flinging his head back and grabbing his shoulders as intense feeling of pleasure overwhelmed him.

With a satisfied smirk Neji kept aiming for that spot, basking in the glorious sounds this produced. Soft moans, sighs, and the occasional yelp accompanied the fingernails raking fervently down his back. He could feel his own end growing near and with one last final push he was shooting his seed deep inside the other.

"Gaara!" He cried out the name exuberantly as he orgasmed, tingly satisfaction spreading through him.

"Neji?"

The Hyuga's eyes slid open hazily, his mind whirling with pleasure and confusion. He wasn't on a boat, there was no beautiful redhead lying beneath him. There was however a very bewildered and uncomfortable looking Gaara crouching on the other side of the tent and observing him warily. Neji was painfully aware of a sticky wet feeling in the crotch of his pants, and with a growing sense of dread he slowly looked down.

'God please kill me now.'

Several moments passed in which the two males stared at each other, each at a complete loss for what to do next. Gaara was the first to break the silence.

"Do you want to get changed or something?"

Neji nodded dumbly.

"Okay I'm just going to-" Gaara motioned towards the tent flap awkwardly before scurrying outside, sparing one last glance back at the mortified Hyuga. The instant he was gone Neji started smacking himself in the head.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

He had never been so embarrassed in his entire life. 'What is wrong with me?' He wondered mournfully as he pulled off his sullied pants and underwear. 'When did I become such a pervert?'

He cleaned himself off as best as he could before putting on some new clothing and dejectedly heading outside the tent to meet with what he believed would be a terrible fate.

Gaara was sitting on the log beside the fire but when he heard approaching footsteps he turned.

"Hi."

Neji raised one hand awkwardly in greeting. They stared at each other before Gaara once again breaks the silence.

"So, um- you said my name."

"What?"

"When you were dreaming… you said my name."

If he had a gun in that moment Neji most definitely would have shot himself in the head. His mind whirled as he struggled to come up with a proper apology and explanation. Before he had a chance however rippling laughter tore through the silence. Startled, he looked down to see Gaara holding his stomach and pointing at him.

"Y-you…"

Completely taken aback it all Neji could do to stand there and stare as the redhead struggled to finish his sentence.

"You're a PERVERT!" He howled, as Neji's eyes widened in horror.

"What?! Am not!"

"Yes you are, you filthy perv!"

The brunette's eyes narrowed dangerously, he found this mockery to be completely unnecessary not to mention offensive. It was abundantly clear he felt bad about what had happened did Gaara really have to laugh at him?

"Fuck you."

Gaara stood up and walked right over to him, still chuckling lightly.

"Please do." He flung his arms around Neji's neck and started exaggeratedly moaning and writhing. "Take me, Neji, take me now!"

Now it was finally Neji's turn to start laughing, the behavior was just too ridiculous to do anything else. He grabbed the boy and wrestled him to the ground, playfully straddling him and kissing at his neck. Gaara squealed and rolled around, trying in vain to get away from the invading mouth.

"Bwahahaha!" Neji laughed evilly, placing one last kiss on his ear before sitting up and grinning down at him.

Gaara folded his arms and glared up at him jokingly.

"You want to get off me now, fatty?"

The brunette rolled off, now aware of the stickiness that remained in between his legs despite his attempt at cleaning.

"The stream gets a lot bigger about ten minutes from here I'm going to go take a quick bath, okay?"

Gaara too got to his feet, eyes still glinting with mirth.

"Maybe a clean body will set an example for your mind."

The Hyuga shot him a fake nasty look before going back to the tent to grab a towel and a change of clothes. He strode over to where the redhead was sitting and planted a small kiss on his lips.

"I'll be back soon, try not to burn down the campground while I'm gone."

With those parting words he was gone, leaving Gaara gazing contently into the distance, unaware of the unnatural movement in the bushes only twenty feet away.

---

Neji sat on the bank of the river, dangling his feet into the cool water as he towel dried his long dark hair. It had taken him a little longer than expected to bathe, he hadn't washed since finding Gaara and it was a sorely missed luxury. The loss was certainly worth it though; he adored that little redhead more than anything.

The sound of a twig snapping directly behind him brought him out of his dreamy state and he was very of footsteps that came to a halt right behind him. A goofy grin spread over his face, it was probably Gaara chasing after him because of how long he had taken. Just to piss him off he decided to wait a full ten seconds before turning to greet his companion.

"What's the matter you couldn't-"

He trailed off in midsentence, it wasn't Gaara standing behind him; it was a dark haired boy who looked to be about the same age. He had a stunningly handsome face but one could never guess that from the malicious expression it was twisted into. The frightening look however was not the firs thing to catch the Hyuga's attention, the small silver pistol pointed directly at his head was. The boy sneered cruelly at the shocked expression on his victim's face.

"Stand up."

---

Gaara was lazily drawing circles into the ground with a stick; idly wondering what could possibly take Neji so long. He'd been gone for a long time and the teenager was beginning to grow impatient.

Right when he'd reached the peak of aggravation and was prepared to go chasing after him the sound of approaching footsteps came from behind him. Eager for company he whirled around with a girn. But the instant his eyes came to rest on the person in from of him the excited smile melted into a look of uncontained horror.

"You…"

Itachi grinned.

"Did you miss me?"

---

So what did you guys think of Neji's dream sequence? I wanted to have a lemon in here but couldn't figure out how to do it realistically to what Gaara's been through. And then I was like: A dream scene is the perfect way to work out my pervert energy! XD

I imagine there's only three or four more chapters of this story left and the next couple ones are going to be the climax so get ready!

PLEASE REVIEW! -Evie

P.s. could someone explain the difference between "then" and "than" to me?


	10. Chapter 10

A/U trying out some new line dividers, hope they work better than the other ones

---

All Gaara could do was stare up in horror at the Uchiha that towered above him. A sickening smile played over the older man's face as he savored the intense fear and confusion that danced in the other's eyes.

"So nice to see you again."

His tone was mocking and cruel as he taunted the boy.

"My foolish little brother let you get away once but I can assure you it wont happen again."

Gaara numbly shook his head from side to side, refusing to accept this as reality. Itachi just laughed cruelly.

"Ah what's the matter? We're going to have lots of fun."

With that said Itachi began advancing slowly and deliberately, amused that the redhead still hadn't budged from the spot. The movement however seemed to spark some realization into Gaara and in an instant he was on his feet and bolting in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately for him the thrill of the chase is what Itachi was all about and with a soft chuckle he took off after him. It didn't take long at all for him to overcome the smaller teen and he quickly flung his arms about the boy's waist, sending them both toppling to the ground. Gaara lay on his stomach, desperately clawing at the forest floor. He had been only inches away from leaving the campground and disappearing into the safety of the trees.

"Now, now is that anyway to act? I thought this was going to be a beautiful reunion."

Itachi grabbed both his wrists and easily yanked him to his feet, dragging him over towards the tent.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

Gaara squirmed and flailed pathetically against the Uchiha's much stronger grasp. 'Where the hell is Neji?' he wondered frantically.

The pair worked their way over until they were directly in front of the tent, Itachi keeping one arm around the other as he opened up the flap and threw him inside.

Gaara was on his back now, eyes frantically searching the inside of the tent for a weapon as Itachi zipped shut his only means of escape.

"Y-you'd better let me go."

He tried his hardest to make his voice sound threatening and confident. Itachi raised an eyebrow and turned to face him

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm here with a friend who'll be back any minute to kick your ass!"

Gaara glared up at him defiantly, awaiting the moment of shock and fear he was sure the Uchiha was going to experience. It didn't come. Instead Itachi did the most unexpected thing, tilting his head back and laughing heartily. Gaara gaped up at him with a mixture of surprise and dread.

"Oh, sweetie, you really are naïve aren't you?"

He wiped away a few tears of mirth and looked back down at him.

"Do you really think I wouldn't plan this out? Your little Hyuga friend is being taken care of by Sasuke as we speak."

Gaara could feel his heart sink, it became hard to breath, his world was collapsing around him.

"W-w-what? What? How?"

His eyes went wide and his whole body was shaking, as all he could do was babble incoherently. Itachi looked at him with a smirk, slowly reaching down to undo the zipper of his pants.

"Don't worry, baby I'm not rough like Sasuke. You're going to love this."

The petite teen treaded backwards so he was as far away from Itachi as he could get. Once that was done the only thing he could do to defend himself was to curl up into a little ball, putting his head between his knees. He clamped his eyes shut, mind whirling with concern. 'Neji please be okay…'

Gaara was so caught up in his own little word he didn't even realize Itachi had moved next to him until a pair of arms wrapped about his shoulders and he felt warm breath playing on his neck

"This will be a lot easier if you hold still and cooperate."

Gaara remained frozen in place, unable to believe this horrifying turn of events.

'This isn't happening. This absolutely isn't happening. This can't be happening. Why is this happening?'

He let out a wild cry; akin to a wolf's howl before flinging himself over Itachi and towards the exit, frantic for escape. The older man grabbed him by the hair and roughly yanked him backwards, forcing him against his chest and locking him in place. Gaara was kicking, scratching, and yelling like a wild animal.

Itachi sighed in irritation, violently smashing his elbow onto the top of the struggling boy's head. Gaara yelped, immediately going still as his vision switched between spinning and fading. Pain was rippling through his whole body.

"I didn't want to hurt you but if you're going to be uncooperative then I have no choice."

The Uchiha flipped the boy onto his back and straddled his hips, delicately brushing some loose bangs off his forehead.

"How about I make a deal with you?"

Gaara stared up at him questioningly through hazy tear filled eyes. Itachi continued with a mischievous little smirk.

"Sasuke has not killed Neji…YET."

The redhead noticeably winced at the implied threat. The raven haired man noted the concern with glee, everything was going according to plan.

"And he doesn't have to die."

Now the older man truly had Gaara's attention.

"If you do what I say."

Gaara glanced to the side, thinking about the tall brunette. His icy blue eyes, his soft lips, his gentle touches…

"So if I do what you tell me you won't hurt him?"

Itachi nodded.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Do you promise?"

"I swear on my mother's grave."

The Uchiha chuckled to himself, that statement was ironic in a way that only he could understand. Gaara swallowed hard, clenching his fists at his sides.

"Okay…I'll do what you say."

---

Neji had been ordered onto his knees, hands tucked behind his head as he watched his captor pacing nervously about in front of him. Every now and then the boy would pull a walkie talkie out of his pocket, check it for something and then look back at him before putting the phone back away. Neji guessed that the kid wasn't working alone, and that meant Gaara could be in trouble. It was also easy to tell that the teen was not in charge of this little operation. The Hyuga knew his only hope would be to talk his way out of this, for his sake as much as Gaara's.

"What's your name?"

The raven-haired teen wheeled around, shooting him an odd look.

"It's Sasuke."

"Well, Sasuke could you tell me why you're doing this?"

The boy's confused demeanor melted into one of anger.

"No."

Neji's right eye twitched slightly with annoyance.

"The least you could do is explain to me why this is happening."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I said NO!"

Neji decided to switch tactics, staring mournfully at his feet as he attempted to look pathetic and submissive.

"Oh…I'm sorry I asked."

Sasuke glanced to the side, an expression of slight guilt flashing over his features. Neji smirked; he had this kid all figured out.

"It's just I-I want to try to understand what's going on…"

Guilt was once again apparent on Sasuke's face as he chewed on his lip thoughtfully.

"I guess I could explain things to you."

He stomped on the ground.

"But don't think it's going to change anything!"

Neji shook his head from side to side disbelievingly.

"I would never think that."

"Okay."

The young Uchiha lowered the gun slightly and oriented himself towards his captive.

"My brother and I have some unfinished business with your friend."

Those words gave Neji a feeling equivalent to having a big bucket of ice water dumped over his head early in the morning. For a moment everything was numb, then all of it came together like a completed puzzle. Something about this kid had seemed very familiar and now it made sense. He was Itachi's brother, and the two were back to finish the job. Anger boiled up in his veins knowing what the bastard before him had done to his precious redhead and it took everything he had to stay calm and collected.

'I've got to keep my cool and win his trust, maybe even his sympathy…For my sake as much as Gaara's.'

---

Itachi had sprawled himself over the redhead, his tongue prodding practically to the back of his throat. The boy had his eyes shut, trying desperately to channel all the times he'd voluntarily made out with someone to make the experience easier. He grasped the silky black hair and tilted his head to the side to give the man better access.

Pleased, the Uchiha sat up and looked down at him with a smile so evil it would have put any villain to shame.

"Isn't this so much easier when I don't have to hit you?"

Gaara felt like a little bit of his soul was being torn away from him as he swallowed his pride and nodded, praying for some sort of miracle to strike his tormenter dead. Itachi licked his lips with anticipation as he studied the boy's slender body.

"Take off your shirt."

Gaara obeyed, trying his hardest to keep his eyes from watering over once again. He cringed slightly as Itachi's cold hands started running up and down his sides, over his stomach, teasing his nipples into hardness. He lowered his head down and started running his tongue over the dusty pink nubs.

A violent shudder ran through the redhead's body. It was an odd sensation, the slick muscle moving around such a sensitive part of his body. For all the sexual experimentation he had done this had never happened to him and he was ashamed by how good it felt. Itachi moved away from his chest, characteristic smirk showing no signs of wavering.

"I told you that you'd like this... And I'm just getting started."

---

Will Neji be able to convince/trick Sasuke into seeing the light?

If/When he does will it be in time?

What's Itachi going to do to Gaara?

Not even I know the answers to these questions. I have two ending for this story in mind. One is happy, one is tragic and I can't decide which one to use…what do you guys think?

-Evie

P.s. I'm really happy with all the reviews I'm getting for this story. It makes my day to come home, check my e-mail and see all those alerts from the fanfic bot THANK YOU!!!


	11. Chapter 11

Sasuke had lowered the gun completely and was staring at his captive with an expression that hinted at the intense inner turmoil he was experiencing. The Hyuga had played the oldest trick in the book; he'd talked to his captor. Told him about his family, his job, his interests, anything that would make him seem more human. And so far it seemed to be working, all that was left was to seal the deal.

"You don't have to do this you know."

Those words didn't have quite the visible reaction he was hoping for but Neji was still certain it had some sort of effect. Slowly the raven-haired teen turned to face him.

"Yes I do. I don't think you understand that it's your ass or mine."

Neji frowned,

"But you're just a minor and Itachi is clearly the one in charge. I'm sure he'd bear the most responsibility and you'd get off with a light sentence."

"So you're asking me to sell my brother up the river?"

"That's exactly what I'm asking! Please think of Gaara, he's a kid just like you!"

Sasuke whole face contorted with an unreadable emotion as he quickly brought the gun back up.

"I think it's time you shut up."

---

Gaara's breaths came out in short, harsh pants as he clutched desperately to the rough fabric of Itachi's shirt. The man was still working his chest and neck over with his mouth, leaving a copious amount of hickeys in his wake. Gaara found himself violently fighting back the urge to moan but his will power was dwindling. So he was eternally grateful when, seconds later the pleasurable feelings were gone and Itachi sat up. The Uchiha licked his lips, staring at him like he was caught somewhere between animalistic lust and the desire to toy with his prey some more.

"I think it's time to take things up a notch. Wouldn't you agree?"

Gaara cast his gaze to the side, nodding in a very slight manner to signal his consent. But Itachi was having none of that wishy-washy behavior. He grabbed the boy's chin firmly, forcing their stares to meet.

"When I ask you a question you look me in the eyes and you answer with words, understood?"

The redhead could barely conceal his hatred as he forced himself to keep his eyes locked to the frightening obsidian orbs.

"I understand."

"You're such a fast learner."

Itachi murmurs softly, placing a few butterfly kisses on his ear.

"I want you to take off my clothes now, starting with the shirt."

The Uchiha shifted his weight to give Gaara the necessary range of motion in order to pull the garment over his head. When that was done nimble fingers traveled reluctantly downwards to undo the buttons of his jeans. The slender teen recoiled as an impossibly large erection sprang out at him. He swallowed nervously, Itachi was even bigger than Sasuke and that time had hurt like hell. He wondered fearfully how exactly he was supposed to get through this.

Itachi noted his reluctance.

"There's no need to be scared, little one. I told you that as long as you cooperate everything will turn out alright."

Gaara just stared up at him, not particularly fond of the term of endearment. Still, those words should have brought at least a small level of comfort to him but he couldn't shake the feeling he was being tricked. By now it was glaringly apparent that Itachi was not worthy of anyone's trust. Unfortunately he couldn't ignore the fact that he was backed into a corner, doing as he was told was the only hope he and Neji had.

'Maybe, just maybe, if I follow his orders everything will really be okay.'

Itachi wiggled his hips, sliding fully out of his pants before turning all his attention to the redhead.

"Let's have off with these shall we?"

He rested his hands on the boy's hips, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of the baggy sweats Neji had given him. With a smirk he started pulling down, slowly savoring each inch of skin that was exposed. The undressing was happening at a pace so agonizingly slow that Gaara was nearly overcome by the perverse urge to scream for him to hurry up. A full ten minutes later the pants were gone, bringing on an odd sense of relief.

'That's another step out of the way, I'm almost done.'

The good feeling didn't last long however, because much to his own mortification Gaara was still half hard from the previous activities and a grinning Itachi reached down to grab him, intently running his hand up and down the length. Gaara cringed at the feeling of the rough calloused fingers rubbing the most sensitive part of him, but despite that his body continued to react to the touch. The Uchiha squeezed lightly, running his thumb over the very tip and through the slit. A shudder passed through the redhead's body and he let out an unwilling moan.

"That's right, just relax and let me take care of you."

Itachi leaned in to place a light kiss on soft lips although the act was devoid of any real affection. The hand that had been previously on his member moved lower to gently finger his entrance. Gaara squirmed, preparing for what was to come. Much to his surprise though Itachi did not just force his way in; instead he found that the finger had moved up to rest on his lower lip.

With a smile the Uchiha slid it inside his mouth, pushing dangerously close to the gag reflex. Gaara got the message and quickly began sucking on the appendage, knowing it would make things a lot easier in the long run. Itachi fidgeted, staring down with lust filled eyes as he moved another finger in. The redhead grabbed his wrist, easing them in at his own pace as he ran his tongue around and around, soaking them with saliva.

Impatiently, the Uchiha yanked his fingers out, grabbed the boy's legs, and flung them over his shoulders.

"Let's get to the point."

Gaara threw his head to the side and clenched his eyes shut in preparation as he felt a long finger experimentally prodding against his entrance. Itachi used his one free hand to cup his cheek and tilt his face back up in a surprisingly gentle reminder to maintain eye contact. Suddenly he felt the finger moving forward, invading him in the most uncomfortable way. But even as a second appendage was inserted he didn't feel any real pain, just a peculiar invasion that filled him with the overpowering desire to kick and turn.

Itachi scissored his fingers, grinning with delight as he realized the connection between how difficult that act was to accomplish and how good this was bound to feel.

"Still tight as a virgin."

He murmured softly.

Gaara was trying his hardest to block out all of the Uchiha's taunting words and actions but found that to be an impossible act as his legs were lowered from the shoulders to be draped around the older man's waist. Itachi's erection was pressed so hard up against him that he could feel its expectant throbbing. The teen tried once more time to avert his gaze but quickly realized that was a mistake as Itachi's open palm whipped across his cheek, bringing with it a stinging pain.

"You seem awfully insistent on making this difficult."

The Uchiha wasn't yelling, his voice had taken on a low deadly calm, dripping with malevolence.

"Here I am generously offering you a chance to save Hyuga's life and your turning it away. I guess you don't care about him as much as I thought you did."

Gaara couldn't decide which hurt more, the slap or the words.

"I do care about him!"

He brought his head back up; locking large emerald eyes onto dark, almost black ones.

"I'll be better, please don't hurt Neji."

The creepy smirk was back full force as Itachi observed the regretful boy.

"Glad to hear it. Now, I want you to put me in you."

Gaara blinked.

"What?"

"I'm not going to repeat myself. Now do it or else."

Trembling slightly Gaara arched his back and brought his legs further up, hooking his ankles to help balance himself. He started pulling in, wincing as the head of the erection slipped inside. He hesitated, afraid of the pain he knew was about to come. Then, with a deep breath and a picture of Neji clear in his mind he violently thrusted his hips forward.

A scream tore from his throat at the white-hot pain that shot up his spine. It felt like he was going to be torn in two and he could already feel blood trickling down his thighs. Itachi laughed coldly, grabbing the boy by the waist as he started setting his own brutal pace.

Gaara had never felt more disgusting in his life, and that included the time he'd been with Sasuke. It was like Itachi wasn't even aware that he was a human being capable of experiencing pain. The man was staring him dead in the eye as he abused his body, all the hurt, fear, and anger the boy was experiencing was clearly visible to him and yet he didn't care. If anything it was filling him with sadistic urges that made him go even faster.

Suddenly the Uchiha was grasping his erection again, pumping fiercely in time with his thrusts. Gaara let out a strangled cry, caught between the burning pain in his bottom and the overpowering pleasure in his groin. He gargled out something completely indecipherable as his hands switched between punching and scratching at Itachi's arms. His fists however just bounced off harmlessly and the thin lines of blood he was producing seemed to go entirely unnoticed as the man continued panting and moaning.

The thrusts grew in frequency and force as Itachi's breathing became increasingly labored. Gaara too was finding himself in a similar situation, the sensation between his legs traveling up to the pit of his stomach and spreading with desire to be satisfied. Tears rolled backwards down his face into his ears, tickling him in a rather uncomfortable way. But he couldn't even reach up to brush them away; he was so trapped in the moment his hands refused to unclench from the man's arms. He was close now, so close.

The pleasure exploded, it was almost too intense and half of him wanted to pull his hips away from the offending hand. But he didn't, instead he bucked forward, shamefully screaming out his ecstasy as white liquid shot out of him and onto Itachi's stomach. With a few more driving pushes the Uchiha came as well, filling the boy up with his own sticky substance, loudly moaning out his gratification. With one last shallow move forward he pulled out entirely, ignoring the fresh burst of pain Gaara was experiencing and rolling to the side.

For a moment each lay still, letting their heart rates return to normal as a whirlwind of emotion spun through each. Itachi was feeling intensely gratified and eager for the next step of his plan. He was not only going to eliminate a threat to his freedom and his worst enemy, but he would finally mold his little brother in to the man he knew he was meant to be. Gaara was feeling quite the opposite; he was ashamed, nervous, sad, and just a tiny bit hopeful that he'd soon be safe and sound in Neji's arms. He bit his lip, thinking about his pale-eyed love interest.

"Itachi?"

The Uchiha lazily turned his head to the side and eyed him dispassionately.

"What?"

"I want to see Neji now."

The man propped himself up on one elbow, eyes glinting cruelly.

"Why?"

Gaara stared blankly at him.

"Because I did everything you said."

"No. I mean why do you want to see him? Do you care about him?"

"Yes…"

"And you think he cares about you?"

Green eyes narrowed defensively.

"I know he cares about me."

Itachi snorted.

"Sasuke and I pick our victims for a reason."

Gaara cocked his head to one side, utterly confused as to what that last statement had to do with anything. He watched expectantly as Itachi sat fully up, luxuriously redressing himself before turning to face the still naked teen.

"We pick the kind of people that if they were to go missing no one would really care. I mean sure there will be a police investigation, maybe a handful of people that will be sad about it, but our victims do not fit societies mold of perfection. They will not become the poster child for a nation and organizations will not be founded in their names. Don't you see, Gaara? You are not the kind of person who can be loved, that's why we picked you."

Itachi had hit the nail on the head. Every anxiety, every fear, every self doubt the redhead had ever experienced had just been perfectly voiced to him in a way that made it clearer than he had ever been able to sort out for himself. In this situation of variety of reactions are to be expected, but for Gaara anger rose out clearly above the rest.

"You stupid bastard! What the hell would you know about any of that? Neji loves me!"

Itachi was on his feet, the fires of hell dancing in his eyes.

"You little brat. How dare you talk to me like that?"

He reached down and grabbed him violently by the back of the neck, yanking him up off his feet until they were nose to nose.

"You really think Hyuga loves you?"

He hissed out spitefully, grip tightening considerably at the rebellious look painted over the teen's face.

Gaara didn't bother with words; everything he was thinking was perfectly conveyed in the wad of spit sent flying into the Uchiha's face. With a roar of fury Itachi was dragging the nude teen outside. Gaara found himself thrown down onto his back in front of the fire, Itachi straddling him with his wrists pinned beneath him.

The raven-haired criminal began rummaging through his pocket, eventually pulling out a hunk of plastic that looked hauntingly familiar to the redhead. With a click the knife's blade popped out and Gaara's demeanor melted into one of horror and realization as the severity of the situation came washing over him.

"Don't!"

"I'll do whatever the fuck I want."

Itachi thrusted the tip of the blade into the flames, watching with contentment as the metal slowly transformed from a dull silver to glowing red. Gaara's eyes widened and he began thrashing about violently.

"Let go of me you god damn psycho!"

Itachi didn't bother with a response, using one hand to push the bangs off the boy's forehead while the other lowered the blade. Gaara froze, afraid that if he continued moving so much he would impale himself on the knife. Besides, something about Itachi's naturally calculating manner told him he wouldn't just start blindly stabbing it was a way too out of character thing to do.

Gaara could feel the heat radiating off the blade, the steam alone burning his creamy white skin. When the metal itself touched him it took everything he had to keep from letting out the wail of absolute agony that was building up inside him. It hurt ten times worse than the sex but Gaara refused to give him the pleasure of hearing him scream again. The only thing he couldn't stop was the occasional whimper as Itachi continued running the sharp edge over his skin, at times crossing over areas that had already been cut.

After what seemed like an eternity of searing pain and unbearable restraint Itachi sat up, pressing the sleeve of his shirt against the forehead to slow the bleeding. He pulled back to admire his work, smiling delightedly as he took in the final result.

'This is too perfect. Now the cops will think this was the work of some crazy cult…Plus it's awfully symbolic…'

He chuckled at his own cleverness, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small walkie talkie esque piece of equipment. He expertly pressed a few buttons before calmly raising it to his ear and waiting.

"Sasuke, it's time."

He barked out the three words efficiently before shoving the decie back in his pocket to await the final steps of his plan.

---

…This chapter was awfully depressing. I really liked the idea of how Gaara got the "Ai" tattoo. (In case you couldn't tell that's what Itachi carved into his forehead)

Thanks so much to everyone for explaining the "than" "then" difference I didn't pay attention in ninth grade English and it came back to bite me in the butt. Now then, keep reviewing because it makes me happier than a cat in a catnip patch –Evie


	12. Chapter 12

Neji had remained sitting on the hard painful ground for an ungodly amount of time when a high-pitched beeping cut through the uncomfortable silence. Sasuke sprang to his feet, digging through his pocket frantically until he pulled out the same device he'd been obsessively checking for the last hour. Practically shaking with excitement he pressed his thumb down on a button and raised it up in front of his face.

_Sasuke, it's time._

The Hyuga immediately recognized Itachi's voice crackling through the late afternoon air and grimaced slightly upon hearing it. Sasuke licked his lips with anticipation, pressing a different button and speaking firmly into the mouthpiece.

"Okay I'll be there in a minute."

The raven-haired teen turned to Neji with a look of expectancy.

"You heard him, lets go."

---

Gaara was crouched fearfully on the forest floor, trying his hardest to ignore the twigs that were digging into some rather uncomfortable places. The elder Uchiha stood above him, staring down with the same amused smirk he'd been giving him ever since contacting Sasuke. That expression was getting seriously annoying so Gaara was very grateful when the man's eyes finally tore away, head snapping to attention when the telltale signs of people approaching were heard from about a hundred feet away.

Both bright green and obsidian eyes fixated themselves on the edge of the trees as two figures came bursting through the thick foliage. Neji was walking in front, hands tucked behind his head and looking abnormally bedraggled with his long brown hair sticking out in every direction. Sasuke was directly behind him, small silver pistol pointed at the Hyuga's vulnerable back. Although he was grateful to see that the Hyuga was still alive it killed Gaara that he couldn't just run over his warm safe arms.

The desire to be near his pale eyed love interest increased ten fold as Neji's pale blue eyes met his own in a look of loving concern, an agonizing mixture of anger and fear also became apparent as Neji took in the cowering redhead's full appearance. He was still stark naked, dried blood caked against his inner thighs while fresh blood trickled down his forehead.

Itachi chuckled lightly, successfully bringing the attention of everyone present to himself. Gaara watched with fascination as Neji's eyes instantly changed from worried to hateful when he looked at the Uchiha. Itachi noticed too but it only seemed to amuse him further.

"Neji, you go over there." He pointed the gun to a spot about ten feet away from where the brunette currently stood. "Sasuke go with him."

The Hyuga swallowed nervously, he was quite unhappy about walking further away from Gaara but he obeyed the order when he felt the end of the pistol nudge his shoulder.

"Gaara come here."

The redhead hesitated for only moment before shakily rising to his feet and stumbling over to where Itachi stood. The raven-haired man proudly wrapped his arm around him, stroking the side of his face with mock kindness and savoring the jealous look on Neji's face.

"I really like how this played out wouldn't you agree, Hyuga?"

Neji's entire body stiffened, hands shaking with rage.

"Leave him alone."

"Oh I don't think so, I'm having way too much fun."

Itachi's grin widened as his fingers left Gaara's face in favor of running them down his chest, over pale pink nipples and down to trace the lines of his pelvis.

"And you know what? I believe this is just going to get better, it'll be my best kill yet."

By now the moment had become so tense and focused on Itachi that everyone had pretty much forgotten that Sasuke was still there, they were reminded however when he emitted a surprisingly loud gasp of horror.

"The best kill yet? What the hell do you mean the best kill yet? How many people have you murdered?"

The younger Uchiha stepped forward, staring at his brother with revulsion. Itachi returned it with his own look of disgust.

"Don't be stupid, Sasuke just what the hell do you think happened to everyone else?"

The boy's eyes widened.

"You said that you had…"

He trailed off, staring at his feet with a look that suggested he was coming to a realization but he didn't want to be.

Itachi smirked.

"I said I had my methods of keeping them quiet. You interpreted that the way you wanted to."

It was true, Sasuke had always been a very idealistic person and he wanted to be able to trust his brother, particularly after his parents died, leaving them to be the only remaining family members. The two had managed to live together quite comfortably for a while, more so after inheriting their father's massive fortune. Sasuke forced himself to trust Itachi; he'd blindly followed him everywhere, even participating in his sick games although at first they'd scared him. Of course over time he'd gotten used to it, even come to enjoy their little trips out to the shack but this was too much, way too much.

"No, No! You led me on, you're a murderer!"

"You're a murderer too, Sasuke. You raped just as many people as I have, and you're the one responsible for bringing little Gaara out here"

Itachi nudged Gaara's cheek with the barrel of the gun as if to emphasize his point.

The youngest Uchiha paled considerably, taking steps back, gun lowering to his side as he shook his head apprehensively from side to side. Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know why you're acting like this, it's not like you weren't planning on killing these two."

"Yes, but-but that was one mistake. I had to fix my stupid mistake and then I'd never do it again. But all those people, so many people, Itachi…"

Itachi rolled his eyes.

"You need to chill out, little brother. Get some control so we can finish the job, we'll talk later."

Sasuke turned his back on the three other people, clutching his head desperately.

"No, we can't do this. We can't do this it needs to stop!"

He whirled around, gun raised about shoulder high and pointed directly at his brother.

"This has to stop now."

Itachi's eyes first widened with shock before quickly narrowing back down to his regular look of resolute anger. He raised his own weapon up, aiming dead for Sasuke's head.

"Put that down, I don't want to have to hurt you but I will."

Itachi's arm unraveled from Gaara and the boy wasted no time in stumbling over to the open arms of Neji. The tall brunette quickly removed his brown leather coat, the same one he'd used on Gaara the first day they'd met, and wrapped it back around him in an almost nostalgic way. Neji kept one arm firmly around the redhead, glancing at the edge of the woods, trying to figure out if they had a chance running for it.

"Don't try it."

Itachi's gun was pointed at them now, diminishing any hope the duo had of escape.

"Leave them alone."

Sasuke's finger ghosted dangerously over the trigger. His brother stared hard at him as his pistol swiveled between his two targets.

"This is your last warning, Sasuke, put that down."

A determined look that could rival that of his own brother fell across Sasuke's face.

"No, this needs to stop."

Itachi sighed softly glancing off to the side before looking at his little brother's face, looking genuinely sad for an instant before a flash of color and a loud bang echoed through the otherwise still forest.

Gaara's eyes clamped shut, Neji gasped, and Sasuke stood for only a moment, gaping with disbelief at his brother. And then, as if in slow motion, he was falling backwards onto the forest floor. He hit with a sickening thud and stayed like that, still as a winter's day. Slowly Gaara opened his eyes gawking with dismay at where Sasuke lay. It was difficult to tell exactly where the bullet had hit, there was far too much blood to pinpoint a hole, but the unnatural angle his neck was twisted at offered a horrifying clue.

Neji wasted no time pushing Gaara off to the side and lunging for the gun that was still grasped in Sasuke's hand. He yanked it out, wincing inwardly when his hand dipped into the pool of warm blood.

"Hands in the air, Itachi."

The remaining Uchiha only stared at him.

"You forget I have a gun as well, and the upper hand."

With a sneer he moved his arm to the side, pointing the muzzle of his weapon directly at Gaara's head.

"Neji…"

The boy half whimpered, still in shock as he stared at the corpse of his classmate, bombarded with memories. He'd gone to elementary school with Sasuke, he'd admired his intelligence and athletic abilities, he'd envied his popularity, he'd watched this person grow up and now they were lying dead in front of him, unseeing eyes staring straight into nothing.

Gaara tore his gaze away from the gruesome sight, offering only a sideways glance to Itachi before turning to Neji, every stress of the past few days bubbling to the surface. This had to end now.

"SHOOT HIM!"

He screamed so hard the veins in his neck popped out from the force of making his voice so loud. Neji did not need to be told twice. He brought his finger down hard on the trigger, his hand sent flying back as the bullet exited the barrel and made a beeline for its target. It hit, sinking deep into Itachi's left shoulder. The man howled with pain, falling to his knees and clutching his arm as white-hot pain accompanied the warm blood seeping out between his fingers. With a cry of rage he brought his good arm up, still clutching his gun with a firm hand.

Neji aimed to fire again but it was too late, a resounding bang rang through the forest and he fell backwards, letting out only one choked cry as he felt something wet soaking into his shirt.

"Neji!"

Gaara cried out, starting to run forward to his fallen companion.

"Stay where you are."

Itachi hissed out, still clutching his arm and examining him through hazy dark eyes.

Gaara looked back and forth between Neji and Itachi, completely torn as to what to do. He took a shaky step backwards, gasping when his foot suddenly felt wet. He looked down and gagged, he was standing in a pool of blood, Sasuke's blood, mere inches away from stepping onto the dead boy's head.

Itachi laughed cruelly, raising a trembling arm and taking aim. Gaara whimpered.

"Don't…"

For the fourth time in the past ten minutes another bullet went sailing through the air, Gaara screamed dropping down to the ground on his stomach, not even caring that he was now thoroughly soaked with blood. He lay perfectly still, trembling slightly and waiting for the pain. But it never came. His face was smashed into the blood-soaked mud but he didn't dare to move, praying to every deity in existence that Itachi didn't realize he'd missed.

The Uchiha tossed his head back, laughing heartily as he examined three perfectly still blood-drenched bodies. He tilted his face up to the heavens, grinning madly.

"I can't wait to go home and take a shower."

Itachi knew it was a little silly to be speaking aloud now that Sasuke was dead, but it was just too weird to not tell someone what was on his mind. Still laughing, he forced himself unsteadily to his feet, not sparing a single glance back to the crime scene before stumbling hurriedly off through the brush.

'I'll come back and clean this mess up later I've got to take care of my arm first.'

---

Gaara lay still on the filthy ground for what felt like an eternity, unable to believe his incredible luck. A part of him wished he could just lie here forever, basking in the feeling of being alive but his logical side knew he'd have to move eventually. Nervously he brought his head up and scanned the area, Itachi was definitely gone, Sasuke was still dead and Neji…

"Oh god, Neji."

He got on all fours, crawling as quickly as he could without making any noise until he was crouching beside the Hyuga's still body.

"Neji." He touched his cheek softly. "Neji please be okay."

Eyelids fluttered softly, sliding up to reveal wonderfully familiar blue eyes. The Hyuga blinked hazily several times and licked his dry lips before he could manage to speak in a feeble voice, several octaves below what it normally was.

"Hello there."

"Neji…"

Gaara gasped, eyes rapidly welling up with tears. He looked so pale, so weak.

"Are you okay?"

The second that left his lips Gaara really felt like an idiot. What was Neji supposed to say? "Aside from the bullet in my chest I'm feeling just fine and dandy?" The brunette managed a smile anyway.

"I'm fine, baby don't worry."

Gaara bit his lip, he didn't look or sound anywhere close to fine. Neji sighed, looking up at the darkening sky.

"It's nighttime, the driver will be here in the morning."

Gaara swallowed fearfully, reaching out to grasp his hand and cringing when he felt how cold it was.

"Are you going to make it?"

Neji turned his head to the side, bringing up one hand to run his fingers over the wound on Gaara's forehead.

"I'm going to be okay. Just don't let me fall asleep."

Gaara nodded vigorously, tenderly pulling Neji up against him so his head was cradled in his lap and he was free to smooth out the tangled locks.

"Okay, I promise I won't let you sleep. Just hang in there."

The boy pulled him closer.

"I can't lose you, I just can't. Please hold on."

---

AHH I CAN'T BELIEVE I KILLED SASUKE! I'm a horrible person…but I guess he did kind of deserve it for being such a gullible rapist.

By the way you guys can thank Rika Zu for finally having the twelfth chapter out, her review was a huge kick in the butt for me. Who knows how long I would have taken otherwise? THANK YOU, RIKA!

Next chapter will probably be the last one and you'll find out whether or not Neji dies.

REVIEW


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